Mount & Bending
by Luke Danger
Summary: As Harmonic Convergence came to a close, it seemed that things would be right again. But for Korra and her friends, it became the start of a new adventure in a strange land. This is Calradia, a land of war with six kingdoms locked in brutal struggles for dominance. Unable to return home, Korra must find a new path in a vicious world, and find what she wants to accomplish here.
1. Welcome to Calradia

Blinded, she fell. Not in control like she expected, but whatever her fall was, it was quick, short, and oddly enough into sea water. It was hard to forget the salty taste, even after a rough landing.

Not that it was much comfort as she felt the waves crashing against her and found herself shoved against the sea floor before the water receded. She took the chance to gasp for air… and the moment she finished inhaling another wave crashed into her. The wave knocked her further inland.

When it finally stopped after countless crashes, she was lying on her back, cold, sore, and barely able to see the night sky above her as she groaned.

She was a muscular young woman, dusky skinned and black haired, though the hair was a tangled mess after what she had gone through. Her blue tinted clothes were torn, and she found herself wishing she had her parka.

So she used the next best thing, instinctively, a short puff of flame shooting out of her mouth as she regained control of her muscles. _Well, that's something,_ she thought as she could feel the warmth catching up to her and eventually pushed herself up to a sitting position and looked around.

She was on a beach – that much she had figured out when she washed ashore – but the cliffs were not the familiar ice walls from home or even the public beaches at Republic City, but seemingly untamed despite the heavily fortified castle town and port in the distance. Though, the architecture was strange and alien to her.

"Well," she muttered to herself, "what have you gotten yourself into now, Korra?"

There was no answer. Korra didn't expect one either being alone on the beach. She reached around, seeing what she had with her and quickly found that all she had was her clothes. Nothing else.

"Could be worse," she muttered as she lay there in the cold, wet sand. Her body ached from exhaustion, but she knew she had to find shelter. No matter how much she just wanted to fall asleep here, she didn't know how long she had until high tide happened. And even ignoring the tides washing over her, it was cold and she was exposed to the elements.

So she pushed herself up to her feet against the protests of her weary body and made her way towards the settlement in the distance. The moon began to shine from behind the clouds, almost full.

Cold as it was and with how much her body ached from the wear and tear she had taken, there was something reassuring - and not just the moonlight. She was alive, and hopefully that meant her friends were too. Though, she had to wonder what they would be thinking. The last they saw her, she was supposed to be restoring the whole Avatar cycle with Raava as Harmonic Convergence came to an end. Now she had no idea where she even was.

The path up to the city was simple, at least once she found a dirt road. It was not well traveled, though she suspected it was a side trail while the main beach access was the port itself. The main road was not much better, however, just with stone markers along the sides and tracks grooved into the dirt from constant use.

She finally reached the town after an hour of slow walking, and had to stop as she realized just how primitive it was. There was light… from torches. The gate was an iron portcullis. And even weirder was the style – straight wood with some roofs topped with thatch, others with what looked like layers of dark hides to her. None of the patterns were familiar, though. And then there were the banners – she couldn't make out the colors, just that they were a dark red. Something was barking, though she couldn't identify what it was as she approached the gate and a guard looked at her.

The guard was wearing chain mail with red cloth over it, a shield strapped to his back and a sword holstered on his side. He looked up at her, his hair mostly hidden by the flat topped helmet he wore.

"Late traveler eh?" he said as he gestured inside. "Better come on in; going to be cold. Nearest tavern's a half block in to the left."

"Where… where am I?" she asked.

"Oh, here?" he asked, tilting his head at her. "Welcome to Praven, traveler. 'fraid I'm not allowed to answer questions, though, you'd have to find my sergeant." He tilted his head as he seemed to notice her clothes. "Foreigner, huh? Haven't seen that garb before. Eh, better head inside." The guard shrugged and just pointed inside again.

"Right," she said as she stumbled towards the city. It was late at night and no one was in the streets. She stumbled towards the direction she assumed the guard had been talking about. Not that she thought a tavern would help – she had no money on her. Unless she could find answers there.

A sharp noise caught her attention as she turned down a dark alley. She knew it all too well from the back alleys of Republic City. Someone was dumb enough to draw a knife on her.

"Who's there?" she demanded as she assumed a basic firebending stance.

She received no answer, however, and instead a mugger wearing ragged clothes leapt out of the shadows with a long knife. Korra sprang to the side immediately despite her tired body screaming against the pain and the mugger missed her. Adrenaline and experience with pain took over, however, and she faced her attacker.

"Bad idea," she said as she brought her hand back and shot her first forward – not to punch him… and there was only a small whiff of flame. "Huh?" she asked in surprise.

"All out of fire, eh?" the mugger said as he came at her again. She reacted, stomping her foot on the ground to try and kick up a piece of the earth below but all she could do was lift a pebble briefly.

"Come on!" Korra muttered angrily as she went through a whole set of moves, just lifting the pebble a bit higher and launching it at the mugger at a pitiful speed.

"Okay, first time I've seen _two_ in one," the mugger admitted as it bounced off his shoulder with a faint clink, "but still, hilariously weak."

He swung at her again and she rolled to the side, trying to use airbending to boost up but all she could do was do a short jump and create a faint draft in a normally impossible direction.

"Fire, dirt, _and_ air? What are you?"

She glanced at a nearby puddle as she landed and the mugger was closing in on her and quickly tried to waterbend it into his face. All she did was lightly splash him and felt something cold and sharp cutting across her right thigh.

"All four, seriously?" he asked as she collapsed to the ground from the surprise before he tackled her and held the knife over her throat. "Well then, this'll be a memorable mark."

She didn't give him the chance to plant it in her throat, reaching up for his knife hand and forced it to the side before he could shove it down. The blade stuck into the ground just to the left of her head and she immediately followed it up by head butting him. The mugger staggered back in surprise before Korra knocked him off and rolled up, entering an unarmed fighting stance as the mugger came at her again.

This time she skipped bending entirely and went right for just avoiding the first swing and using the momentum that the mugger had poorly put into his attack to shove him into the wall behind her head first. He hit the wall with a thud, groaned, and slid down. He was unconscious.

And as the adrenaline ebbed from her body, her limit well and truly reached, Korra collapsed to her knees and her hands hit the dirt before she fell face first into the ground, head quickly turning as she settled. The only reassuring part was that it wasn't mud.

She heard footsteps rushing over and felt a hand run against her shoulders briefly before whoever it was stood where she could see his sandaled feet.

"It's good that I found you," the person said and Korra's eyes shot wide as she looked up as much as she could, seeing the brown robe the man was wearing.

The face, however, caused her to stare. "Iroh?" she asked raspily.

"Welcome to Calradia, Avatar Korra."

XXXXXXX

"So," Korra finally asked Iroh as he put a tea kettle on over the fireplace. She had cleaned up and Iroh had given her some warm food to eat in the hour since he had found her. "Do you know what's going on? You've been dodging that problem."

He nodded slowly. "Harmonic Convergence. The final merging between you and Raava did not go as expected."

"What do you mean?" Korra asked as she felt a pit forming in her stomach.

"When the two of you merged, something happened. The boundary between worlds was… weakened. Then strengthened. Like a wall torn down, then rebuilt."

"So… I can't go home again?"

"Home is what you choose it to be," Iroh said as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "However, the effects of Harmonic Convergence are difficult to know. The Spirit World is in turmoil now, a hive of confused bees whose nest was suddenly changed. I offered to deal with some minor troubles, hoping to ease some of that turmoil."

"Wait a second," Korra said as she blinked. "Me being cast into a whole new world is _minor_?"

Iroh shrugged idly, as if he didn't understand why either.

She still sighed in exasperation, shaking her head as the reality caught up. "So, I'm stuck here."

"For now, though you may be able to do much good here. This is a world which sorely needs an Avatar."

"What do you mean, do they have problems with the balance between spirits and the material too?"

"No," he said as he reached under the table and pulled out a map of the local political boundaries. The tea kettle began to whistle as the water boiled and Iroh turned, taking the kettle off of the fire and pouring two cups. "Here, it is not jasmine tea, but a good drink does much."

"I don't suppose it'll help my bending?" Korra asked. "I mean, it's not _gone_, but it feels…"

"Weakened," he answered as he passed her a cup. "Strength comes in many forms, some only truly appreciated when they are the only ones available."

"So, my bending's been reduced to almost nothing?"

"No, but it was weakened during Harmonic Convergence. It will heal, as a muscle given to atrophy heals with time and use, but for now… yes."

Korra nodded as she took a sip from her cup. The tea was rather strong for her taste, but it was still good. "So. Calradia... looks divided."

"It is," Iroh said as he looked down at the map and pointed to the central nation, colored in orange. "This nation, which you are in now, is called Swadia. They are a proud people, their knights feared as the ultimate cavalry in the realm, and they are well known for their ambitions to expand their borders like wildfire."

He pointed to the south, in green. "The Rhodoks are strong and resilient. These mountain and hill men might not be the most sophisticated, but they are stubborn and unyielding, and proud of their achievements. Few can move them if they do not wish to be moved."

To the east of them and the southeast of Swadia, in yellow. "The Sarranids are swift but strong, much like the Sandbenders of the Si Wong Desert. They believe in their own survivability, having endured the harsh desert sands and grown strong in their adversity."

He pointed to the north of the desert and east of Swadia, which was in a dull pink. "The Khergits are born in the saddle, free willed and nomadic, though they have started to settle down too. But even as they do, they remain free souls, flowing like the wind across the steppes." He smirked, "They're also some of the only Calradians who really appreciate good tea."

Korra briefly rolled her eyes in amusement as Iroh took a sip from his cup before pointing back on the map. This time to the northwest of the Khergits and northeast of Swadia, a winter tundra colored in a faint grey. "The Vaegirs are unruly and disorganized, but they have a harmony of diversity. What they lack in regiment they make up for in variances of opinion."

And finally, he pointed to the direct north, which was back to the temperate climes that seemed to be the norm in the western half of the continent. "And lastly, the Nords. Fierce, fearless, and expert traders and seamen, they are direct and to the point, well at ease with travelers, staunchly loyal to their friends, and unrelenting to their foes."

Korra frowned. "I'm seeing some parallels here. The way you described some of them, I could of sworn you were talking about the Earth Kingdom when you mentioned the Rhodoks."

Iroh chuckled. "Indeed, there are some similarities." His face hardened. "But these are not the balanced lands you came from, but a world at war. It comes on and off again, but these truces are often just lulls to rebuild and recover for the next battle. And while issues between nations sometimes sparked into conflict, save for the Hundred Years War they were rarely lengthy. Here, they displace villages even as small scuffles."

"And they haven't incurred the wrath of the local spirits?" she asked as she considered some stories she had heard.

"There are few, if any, here. I myself will only be here for a short while longer. I am mostly here to help you acclimate yourself. And perhaps some others…"

"Others?" Korra asked. "What do you mean?" She had to find out who else she may know was there – she was going to need friends in this place if it was bad as she thought it was.

"All good things are worth the wait, Avatar," Iroh said with a warm chuckle before drinking more of his tea. "But, you must be careful. This is a place where the Avatar is an unknown, though if you introduce yourself as a foreign peacekeeper they should understand the rough idea. Still, an unknown king carries no weight in foreign courts."

She snorted. "I hardly carried any weight back in Republic City, so that's not new." President Raiko's dismissal of her warnings immediately crept to mind.

"Perhaps, but you should not expect any aid purely because you are the Avatar."

Korra nodded slowly. Reasonable enough - this was a place that never had the idea. "And Raava?"

"Restored, but the two of you… are not able to connect. I believe the connection the two of you had still exists, but it's just not strong enough to bridge the gap between worlds."

Somehow, that was reassuring. She wasn't sure why though. Korra chalked it down to just being glad that Raava had survived after Vaatu was defeated. "What about other benders? As in, benders here, not anyone else who got dragged over."

"Bending is something that exists here in Calradia, though as a fairly rare phenomenon." Iroh gestured to the window. "It is a curiosity, not a skill of life for many. Calradians are young in their usage, discovering its wonders and dangers. They are capable of the same feats both of us know of, but they lack the millennia of accumulated knowledge that we both learned."

"I'm guessing it's not distributed like it used to be. I mean, no Fire Nation or anything like that."

"Calradia does indeed lack that, though there are some generalities. The Rhodoks have mostly earthbenders, and the Khergits mostly airbenders. The Sarranids tend towards earthbending as well, but mostly in the factor of sandbending style. The rest of the bending population is a mix, though firebending is predominant amongst the Swadian nobility. However, it is less common here."

Korra mulled over the information as she finished her tea. "You mentioned others? From home, that is."

Iroh nodded. "A friend is a great boon, more than food, more than weapons, even more than bending. One friend of yours is close and another is in need, but you will have time to meet both of them. However," he put his empty cup of tea down and stood. "Calradia is a dangerous land, and some beliefs here are what we consider to be archaic."

"Such as?" she asked as she stood and followed him into the next room.

"For one, they are rather… traditional, in their views on women."

Korra groaned. "Brilliant."

"Though like all things, this waxes and wanes. Some will care little for it, others will be quite insistent. Right now, however..." he opened a closet and Korra's eyes went wide.

Inside was a set of armor, a pattern she knew all too well. Southern Water Tribe battle armor. The wolf head gear used in the Hundred Years War and for some time after. Alongside it was a bow with a full quiver, a sheathed hunting knife, and a shield - all of Southern Water Tribe make. A water skin was also included to complete the set.

"What's this for?" she asked as she picked up the helmet and realized it was perfectly sized for her.

"Calradia is dangerous," he explained. "Your skills served you well in the past, but arrows care little for experience, duty, or honor."

Korra nodded. "And it helps sell the idea I'm a foreign peacekeeper, huh?"

"Somewhat. The bow is a tool, not unlike a hammer. Potent as a way of destroying, or a way of providing." He gave a slight smirk and she understood what he meant immediately.

Korra reached for the main piece of the armor and grabbed it, looking through it. It was sturdy but flexible, permitting her full movement while also protecting her. _Wouldn't of helped against Vaatu,_ she thought as she put it back, _but against thugs or arrows… definitely._

"I also have this," he said, handing her a small bag and she heard the jingling of coins. "Denars, the local currency. A hundred of them."

"Compared to a yuan, how much?"

"The value of money is misunderstood by many, but you might consider them similar."

"Fair enough. I'm guessing I am going to need some lodging at some point."

"Quite possibly," he said with a nod as he gestured towards a small rucksack that looked like it was meant to go onto a saddle. "This also has some rations – dried meats, bread, the usual."

"What's the meat?" she asked curiously as she walked over and opened the rucksack.

"Beef."

"From what, a boar-cow, ostrich-bull, what?"

"Just a normal cow."

Korra paused as she was rifling through the sack. "This is going to be one of those weird places, isn't it?"

Iroh chuckled. "From a certain point of view." He glanced outside. "However, if you want to find one of your friends, a local merchant's brother was kidnapped. Your friend is being held with him."

"Should I talk to the merchant?"

"In a way, you are. I seem to have… assumed his place." Iroh shrugged. "As I said, Harmonic Convergence has led to strange circumstance."

"He's okay, right?"

"He is. I believe that he thinks that he is offering you a job to find his brother. He'll probably want you to hire five people to back you up, but I believe your fighting skills are far more advanced than what he thinks."

"Yeah, finding five goons is a bit hard with only a hundred yu- er, denars," she said as she considered one of the stories Mako had told her about Triad pay for their thugs. A hundred would usually only be two or three goons doing one hit.

"You can rest here tonight. This is a lot to take in, and everyone needs to rest after an ordeal."

_He's right about that,_ Korra thought as she considered how much she had gone through that day. "Thank you. For everything."

"No, thank you. For stopping Vaatu."

Korra smirked. "Well, I have to thank Tenzin and Jinora for that one, I think."

Iroh smiled. "There is still some more tea, if you'd like some," he said as he left the room.

"I think I'll just get some sleep," Korra answered as she sat down on the small cot, looking through the supplies given to her. She estimated that she had about a month's worth of food, if she only had to feed herself. Water was something she would have to refill on the way, but she believed that she had enough waterbending ability left to get it into the water skin easily.

There was more in the rucksack, miscellaneous items including the handheld telescope she had kept from the Equalist crisis, a needle and some thread of the same color as her cloths, and a few other small mementos like a badge with the Fire Ferrets' team logo or a white lotus tile, but there was a distinct lack of toiletries. One look around gave her a good idea why. Calradia likely never heard of things like toothbrushes, toilet paper, or other supplies. _Well, no one said road life was easy,_ she thought as she closed the sack and turned to the rest of the gear she had been given.

The armor seemed to be the genuine deal, the same as her maternal grandfather's gear that was probably still in her parents' home. He was too young to fight in the Hundred Year War, a mere toddler at its end, but he had become a soldier in the revitalizing Southern Water Tribe and had his share of battles with pirates. This armor, however, was new, not scarred like his had been.

Either way, it was a touch she appreciated. A connection to home.

She pulled out the bow next. She had been shown how to use one as it was a common hunting tool in the Southern Water Tribe, but she never practiced archery extensively. It had just seemed redundant to her with bending available. She strung it, aiming at the wall without an arrow notched, drew the string back and released it.

"Ow!" she muttered as the string slapped against her wrist. The wool cuff she wore had protected it, but not nearly as well as a proper armguard. She rolled her eyes. First thing about using a bow she forgot was basic safety? Somehow that seemed fitting as she unstrung the bow and put it back.

The shield was well balanced, she found as she swung a few punches to get a feel for having a shield around her arm. _That general weapons overview is paying off,_ she thought with a smirk as she thought back to her weapons training that had started while she waited for her firebending instructors. But given it was only a broad overview, she had no doubts that she would be nearly useless in a proper shield wall from the Hundred Years War or before. Her main contribution would have been her bending.

After making sure everything was put away properly, she sat back down in the cot and glanced at her thigh, where the mugger had sliced her. She had tended to it earlier and it was bandaged, but she had a feeling that healing it via waterbending was not an option yet. _Oh well,_ she thought as she laid back in the cot and drifted to sleep.

XXXX

"So, who's this 'other friend' you wanted me to meet?" Korra asked the next morning as Iroh lead her outside the city.

She had put her hair back up – there was a few changes of clothes for her in the closet as well, including her parka, all repaired – but she had put the armor on at Iroh's recommendation save for the helmet, which she held under her arm.

"A friend you've known since you were a child," Iroh answered as they rounded the bend and a large, white animal rushed towards her.

"Hey, easy!" Korra shouted as she found herself forced to the ground and being subjected to repeated licking of the face, the helmet rolling to the side as it fell out of her hand. The giant polar bear dog finally stopped as Korra gently pushed the animal back by the nose.

"Good to see you too, Naga," she said as she picked herself up.

"I can do little more to help you," Iroh said as he looked back to the city before pulling something from his sleeves. "However, I have one more gift, consider it a thank you for what you've done. A special map and pen. The pen can erase as well, so you can adjust the map as you need to mark things."

"Wow," Korra said as she looked at it. It even had the looters that had been mentioned on it. "So, I'm on my own from here?"

"You are, but I think you will find a role here." Iroh said as he pointed towards the city. "This land is torn asunder, and it desperately needs help. The bandits and looters who hold your friend and the merchant's brother hostage are a symptom. The kings of this land look to each other, fighting over petty disputes, and their lords sometimes take their problems to the field as well."

"And let me guess – bandits roam free in the meantime?"

Iroh nodded. "Finally, be careful. No man or woman is immortal, and everything comes to an end. Even the most resilient of us can find death if we are not wise in choosing our battles."

She nodded slowly. "I understand. Anything else?"

"Only that it was an honor to be of help. Perhaps you will be able to visit sometime?"

Korra chuckled. "I definitely will, if I can still connect to the Spirit World here."

Iroh smiled. "It would be good to have visitors again. Perhaps acting their age?" He smirked and Korra rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly as she remembered that.

"Yeah, hopefully…"

Iroh bowed slightly, then walked out of sight.

Korra looked to Naga and smiled. "Well girl, time to explore a new world."

XXXXX

**Author's Notes:**

_- Welcome to Calradia, Legend of Korra fans. I'll admit, the last season heavily inspired this idea. Now, why explore it in Calradia rather than the native setting? Simple: Calradia lent itself far better to what I want to do, and Harmonic Convergence was the perfect way to put Korra and allies there. Sure, the spirit portal with Kuvira would work, but I didn't want to only have Kuvira as another native for Korra to interact with, I wanted something broader and with more room to select who to bring in. Allies and enemies alike._

_- However, this will predominantly be Calradian in setting. Things from Avatar will proliferate, but Korra won't be taking an army of screaming Nord Huscarls, charging Swadian Knights, and sniping Rhodok Sharpshooters to Republic City or anything like that. That said, expect Calradia to evolve as a result of these changes - after all, I need to keep Team Avatar from being overpowering._

_- In regards to that, this is pretty much my main motivation for wrecking Korra's bending when she landed in Calradia. So she's not going to overpower the more-or-less original setting with her power since she IS at an army wrecking level, especially as pure outside context. That said, while I gave Calradia bending, it's hilariously weak due primarily to lack of institutional experience. They're not stupid, they just don't have the ten thousand years of tradition that Korra, Mako, and Bolin grew up with that lets kids on the street become potent benders in their own right. By making Korra build back up, at least Calradia has a chance to learn about it._

_- Iroh's appearance, in all honesty, is that of an author's tool. A method of dealing with most issues of the insertion and explaining things to characters so we avoid chapters of not having any clue as to what is going on. Plus, he seemed like the guy who would handle it as someone humans are quite familiar with as a historical persona. And hey, more Iroh is always good. :D_

_- Speaking of that, the map is basically the same thing. A spirit did it, that's all I've got to say._


	2. First Steps

"Oi, you the guy that merchant sent?"

"You're looking at her," Korra retorted at the shirtless man standing in front of her. He and his five looter buddies were in poor shape. Most of them were in rags, if that, and the closest thing to a proper weapon they had was one of them carrying a hatchet that was rusted and chipped.

"Yeesh, he could have taken it seriously," he muttered. "Sendin' a girl? Well, least he sent a merc riding some foreign critter. I guess that's something."

Korra rolled her eyes. "So, where's the brother?"

"Where's the ransom?"

"How much is it?"

"Didn't he tell you? Eight hundred! Now give it!"

Korra smirked. "What do you think, Naga?" The polar bear dog growled. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

The looters took a few steps back as Naga barred her teeth and Korra slid off of her back, landing on her feet. "Now, why don't you just tell me where the brother is and I won't have to bury you."

The looters looked at each other. "Hah! We're not afraid of you!" one of them shouted. "Get her!"

"Bad choice," Korra said as she made sure the shield was tight around her left arm. The first looter charged her, swinging his club, but she blocked it at an angle with the shield before knocking his arm to the side and slugging him directly in the face. He landed several feet away.

Two of them swarmed at Naga, but they quickly learned why no one in the Southern Water Tribe dared try to tame a giant polar bear dog. The first looter swung the hatchet at Naga, only to find his head inside her mouth and being used as a chew toy. Naga wasn't chewing on him directly, but she held him tight in her teeth and used his body to smack away the other looter and then released the guy, sending him flying into the ground, bleeding the whole way.

The three remaining looters were going for Korra, swinging away with their sticks. Korra leapt around them, disarming them quickly and knocking all but one of them out.

These guys were no where near comparable to chi blockers in skill - not by a long shot. One of them got a good hit on her, but the shoulder guard of her armor absorbed most of the blow and made countering a straightforward matter. That poor man found himself knocked towards Naga as the giant polar bear dog was swatting another looter down.

The last of the outlaws tried to run, but was pounced on by Naga before he could get far.

"Okay, okay!" he shouted, "Just… tell me what the hell you want and I'll give it to you!"

"It's not about what I want," Korra said with a smirk as Naga showed her jawline to the looter. "It's about what Naga wants. And I think she wants to know where the merchant's brother is."

"Okay, okay! He's being held in a valley to the northwest! Lots of trees, really dense. Big red tree marks the front end of it – can't miss it, I swear! Just south of Azgad!"

"Good. Let him go, Naga." She backed off and Korra put a hand on the saddle. "Thank you, you've been a great help."

The looter fainted.

"Works every time," Korra said with a smirk before she looked at the looters and noticed that a few coins had spilled from their pockets. She briefly wondered if she should take it before deciding that it was probably going to be impossible to track down the rightful owners. So she poked through the lot, finding a few denars in the mix and grabbing the hatchet – she needed something to cut branches to make camp, after all, even if it was rusty.

As Korra erased the mark of the looter's location and found where he was talking about, she heard hooves and glanced up to see a group of men with large clubs. Riding the horses Iroh had mentioned when describing common animals in Calradia when taking her to meet Naga.

"You there!" one of them shouted, "You seen any outlaws, bandits, or looters?"

"Yeah, I knocked out about six of them," Korra answered, gesturing towards where they were.

The leader nodded. "Thank you. Okay then you lot, let's move! One of Ramun's friends is in town today, so we get those guys and it's payday!" The group rode off quickly and Korra smirked. Helping some local police dealing with criminals was always a satisfying thing to do.

XXXXX

"Sorry Naga," Korra said as she looked at the path beyond the red tree the looter had mentioned. "It's too dense for you. Stay here, and make sure no one gets out."

The polar bear dog nodded and sat down, waiting at the entrance as Korra grabbed the bow and quiver, strung the bow, and slung both of them onto her back before making sure the shield was strapped onto her arm and the hatchet on her belt. She didn't expect to use it, but she had no idea how many bandits were in there waiting for her.

_I really miss bending,_ she thought with a sigh. It formed so much of her defensive repertoire that she felt defenseless without it. The only reassuring part, she figured as she snuck through the brush to the camp, was that she had enough hand-to-hand training to deal with untrained thugs. Both the older styles from her upbringing and Asami teaching her more modern hand-to-hand combat in the months between Amon's defeat and Unalaq's schemes.

As she crept closer to the camp, she saw a hut where four bandits were sitting, all wearing ragged fur clothes.

"I'm getting' bored waiting on those idiots," one of them complained loudly. "Can't we just go loot something? I hear that Delinard's sending a caravan from Uxkhal to Praven tomorrow. We could go hit that."

"Pick a fight with the Marshall's guys? Seriously?" another one answered. "Are you stupid or something?"

"Hey, I didn't say do it alone! Hook up with Robin's gang near Ruluns first, hit it together!"

"You wanna work with that asshole?" the third bandit said in surprise. "Yeah, let's stick to kidnapping idiot merchantmen and foreign women. Much easier."

"Shut it, Tinsworth," the first one retorted. "Besides, it's not like they'll escape. I bet the ransoms'll come through soon. Based on her clothes, I bet her father's a lord of some kind. He's probably filthy rich. And probably a jerk too."

Korra smirked. If they were talking about who she thought they were, they had two out of three. Still, she could see more bandits ahead past the four talking. Too many to take on directly without her bending.

Luckily, she had just the tool to thin the odds a bit. Switching the shield for her bow, she notched an arrow, drew the string back and aimed just over the third bandit's head. After all, she had to compensate for the arc at the range she was at. She released the bow and the string slapped against the armguard of her new armor and she quickly grabbed another arrow to notch.

A scream told her she had hit her mark as the other three bandits were shouting in horror and she aimed for the first one, who had grabbed a large woodcutter's axe, and released the arrow. It sailed directly into his shoulder and the bandit collapsed, whining in pain as he started to bleed on the ground.

"Over there, archer!" the second bandit warned and Korra's eyes went wide as he shot an arrow towards her that narrowly went by her shoulder. She took cover behind the tree she was next to as he fired another arrow, daring to glance out briefly. He and his friend both had bows now and were aiming for her, arrows notched and waiting for her to show herself.

Glancing to a rock formation to her left, she smirked, leaning out to the right to get their attention before switching as quickly as she could and sprinting towards the rocks. The trick worked, the bandits releasing their arrows to the right before realizing she hadn't stayed there and once behind the rocks, she notched another arrow and released it at the bandits. She missed, but it forced them to consider being shot at as well and she used that opportunity to move closer behind another tree.

"Forget it, close in on her!" one of the two shouted as he heard stirrings deeper inside. She had to end this now. The two bandits were moving forward with large, cracked wooden shields raised to protect their heads and torsos.

Korra slipped the bow back around her back and drew the shield again. She was not confident in her ability to accurately hit them in the legs. The two bandits had large knives for weapons in hand. So, she had to get around those.

Nodding to herself, she took a run towards them and leapt up as they closed in, hoping that using what airbending she had left might give her a bit more hang time. Whether it did or not, the jump took her over both of them and before they could turn around she dropped onto her left hand and used it as a pivot to sweep both of their legs, knocking them onto their backs. A pair of quick strikes to the head later, they were both unconscious and she could turn to the other bandits in the camp.

Luckily, there were only three, none of whom had shields or bows. Korra smirked and quickly drew the bow again, aiming for the first one and loosed the arrow. She missed - in great part due to the shield obstructing her aim - but the bandits seemed to be spooked by the prospect and spread out, trying to hide behind trees. Korra notched another arrow and aimed, waiting for one to make a move. One finally did and she quickly turned to fire at him, but missed again.

But they were now spread out enough that it didn't matter. Running forward, she leapt up at the nearest bandit as he tried to bring a large axe up and kicked him in the face, riding him to the ground and knocking him out. The other two reacted, one with another hatchet (that wasn't rusted) and the other a pair of knives. She went for the one with the hatchet first.

Strapping the bow to her back as she went, she slid low as he tried to swing it horizontally to hit her left side and knocked him over before bashing him in the face with the shield. The other bandit rushed her, both knives pointed towards her but she blocked with the shield, which the old knives broke against before Korra grabbed the bandit by the throat and hurled him into a nearby tree. The bandit hit the tree and slid down, unconscious.

Smirking to herself as the fact she had pulled this off dawned on her, she checked the bandits and made sure they were down for the count. While doing so she found a few silver coins that she pocketed, switched the rusty hatchet for the non-rusty one, and started recovering the arrows. The ones that had missed she was able to put right back into the quiver, but as she found the two bandits she had shot to open the attack, she had to pull the arrows out of them. Wincing briefly at the sight and smell, she ripped off a part of their fur shirts to wipe the arrows off before putting them away.

And on that first bandit's corpse with a hole in the head, she found what she had really needed. A set of keys.

Heading into the main hut that the bandits were using, she saw two people inside. One of them was a disheveled man with extremely light hair and wearing pants and a simple tunic. The other person, however, was the one who really caught Korra's attention.

Wearing a dark red padded outfit not unlike the one Korra wore when she did pro-bending or practice bouts for bending, it had a half-cog logo on the shoulders. The woman who wore it had fairly light skin, green eyes, and black hair.

"Asami," Korra said as she unlocked the cuffs holding the woman's hands together and keeping her tied to the wall, "I never thought I'd see you here! I thought you were taking the wounded back to Katara."

"I was," Asami answered as she rubbed her wrists

_So Mako was right after all – it is a habit,_ she thought as she recalled what he had said about perps getting their cuffs taken off. "What happened? You weren't anywhere near the portals."

Asami shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. One moment I was carrying in gauze, the next moment I'm in the middle of the forest. I think you can see what happened to me. I also had a small crate of gear, even my taser gauntlet was in there. Not sure how that ended up here."

"What's a taser gauntlet?" the other man, who Korra presumed to be the merchant's brother, asked.

"Basically, I grab you while wearing it, you get shocked," Asami answered.

"One of those Future Industries things you foreigners make?" he asked.

"That's one way to put it," Korra said. "Any idea on anyone else being here?"

Asami shook her head. "All I know is there are 'others'. You wouldn't believe who explained it to me…"

"I think I would," she retorted before Asami named him. "Though, we should get this guy back to the local city - his brother's going to be looking for him."

"Okay. I'll grab the gear - should be in the cave next door."

Korra nodded as she turned to the merchant's brother. "You going to be alright if you sit here for a minute?"

"I will," he said with a nod. "I take it you want to escort me back directly?"

"Probably a good idea."

The man nodded and Korra followed Asami to the nearby cave.

"So, since when did you own battle armor?" Asami asked once they were in the cave.

"Since last night," Korra answered. "It's going to be a long story, but… well, the guy I ran into had it for me, along with the weapons." She paused. "Well, not the hatchet. That I looted off a bandit."

Asami snickered. "What, bending not good enough for y-" Asami paused and her eyes went wide. "I'm sorry," she hastily apologized.

"Don't be," Korra answered with a shrug. "I still have it, it's just whatever sent us here weakened it, a lot. It should come back, though. It's like a bad run-in with chi blockers."

Asami nodded as she propped open the crate and pulled out a large metallic glove and slid it on. "I'm surprised about the other gear. There were some bolas and a crossbow in here too," she explained as she pulled it out. "Surprised the bandits didn't use it."

"Me too," Korra admitted as Asami pulled out the rest - a few changes of clothes and some more food supplies, some miscellaneous items, and a backpack for it all. "Though, how much was explained to you?"

"A lot. Odd part is, the one who explained it to me said he was taking the guise of one of the bandits…"

Korra glanced out of the cave and winced. "Which probably means I killed him or he's knocked out."

Asami shrugged as she started to fit a set of harnesses from the crate onto her outfit. "Given the era we're in, no surprise. Medical treatment wasn't brilliant in the Hundred Years War, and if these guys are any indication this place isn't even that advanced."

"It's going to take some getting used to, I think," Korra said. "Least you were able to keep the padded suit, though. It's decently armored."

The (former?) CEO of Future Industries nodded. It was the same kind of outfit worn by pro-benders, so it was rated to deal with significant impacts. After all, even with the rules on the sport, accidents happened. And when accidents involved fireballs or earthen discs, it had to be strong. Korra was fairly sure that it was one of those new polymers that had hit the market when she was ten years old, but she never studied much of that.

_Add that to the list,_ she thought as Asami finished gathering her kit and other items for a rucksack. _Make sure that the next guys training the Avatar include an actual common education…_ One more item for a list that included 'don't lock her up in a military compound' and 'make sure she has some basic life experiences'.

"So, you run into anyone else?" Asami asked as she strapped the crossbow and bolts to the harness and slid the backpack on.

"Naga's waiting at the end of the valley, but otherwise I haven't ran into anybody. I don't suppose you got a hint?"

"Just that I'd be getting help from 'a friend'," Asami answered as they left the cave. "I wonder who else is out there."

"Ten yuans says it's Mako and Bolin."

"Sucker's bet and you know it."

XXXXXXX

An hour or so later, they managed to make it back to Praven and went to the main tavern in town. Naga waited outside.

"Thank you," the merchant's brother said as he closed the door behind them. "I think I can see my brother over there."

Korra nodded and let the two brothers talk while she and Asami sat down at a table in the corner. There were no menus, though Korra grabbed her waterskin and took a quick drink while Asami opened a canteen that had been in her kit.

"So, what's your plan?" Asami asked.

"I don't know," Korra admitted as she put the waterskin down. "I was told that bandits are really big around here, but the last time I thought that being the Avatar meant going around busting heads, I got arrested."

"I remember hearing about that on the news, you really tore that street apart."

Korra rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. "Yeah, I did. Probably should've used a little more restraint…"

"Probably," Asami noted before pausing, giving Korra a quick tap on the arm and the two looked up as a burly man in light chainmail was walking towards them with his right hand closed into a fist.

"Can we help you?" Korra asked as she slid her hand down.

"You already did," he said, opening his hand to reveal some silver coins. "Some of the pay we got for the looters you knocked out. Figured you should get some of it for actually taking them out."

"Uh, thanks." Korra said as he put it down on the table and walked away, giving her a faint nod.

"What was that about?" Asami asked.

"I ran into them after I got your location, I figured they were local cops."

"Look more like bounty hunters to me," the businesswoman looked towards them uncertainly as they were talking to a man in a rather dressy blue shirt at the other end of the tavern. "That guy doesn't look like an official to me."

Korra shrugged. "Well, it's bandits in jail, right?"

"True," Asami said as two people walked over. Korra recognized one, the merchant's brother, but the other she concluded immediately was the merchant himself.

"Thank you," the merchant said, handing her a small bag. "The rest of the pay, two hundred denars. I have to say, I was uncertain about you going off alone, but it seems I was wrong about your skills."

"Glad to help," Korra said as she had to fight down how awkward it was. She didn't know what he thought they had discussed, but she had a hunch the money she had been given was supposed to be a down payment. "So, what happens now?"

"Now, I see about finding him a safer place to be. Maybe a university in Geroia…"

"Ah c'mon Tim, I'll be fine!"

The merchant sighed. "We'll discuss this later. Right now though, I may have another job for you."

Korra glanced to Asami, and the other woman simply shrugged. "I'm listening," Korra said.

"I mentioned that brigands were taking to the streets of Praven. Well, I found out how they were getting in. An insider, just like I thought. The Captain of the Guard, even."

"I thought most cops kept some crooks on payroll, for informers," Asami remarked with a frown. "Or at least usually do; if Beifong did she was darn quiet about it."

"Who?" the merchant's brother asked.

"Local chief of police back where we came from," Korra hastily answered.

"Fancy name for a town watch. Anyways," Tim continued, "As it happens, the local guard captain tried his hand at trade since he had a rather sizable gift from King Harlaus after his skillful defense against the Nords when King Ragnar attempted to take the city last year. Well, like a lot of amateurs he sunk all his fortune into the most expensive goods he could. Bandits stole everything before they even made it halfway to Suno."

"And he turned to crime because of that?"

"Exactly. He lets in muggers and other knifemen, they give him a cut of their loot."

"So why not just tell this King Harlaus?" Asami asked with a frown. "Sounds to me like you don't need a pair of foreigners for that."

"In theory, you're right. I could accuse the Captain of the Guard of his crimes and that would be that. But of course, there'd be an investigation, a trial, time enough to burn evidence, buy witnesses, or put me face down in an alley with a slit throat if the whole thing gets forgotten in a Vaegir attack."

He shook his head. "No, I'm not going to let that happen. I want to take a more direct approach. I've managed to gather a small group - local guards who dislike having to look the other way, townsmen who've lost folk to these bandits, and a few others who want payback. The plan is we hit him while he's asleep and drag him to King Harlaus in chains, with every piece of evidence we can find in his home. However, as I said I'm not a fighter..."

"So you want someone to lead this little revolt of yours," Korra finished as she realized exactly where this was going. "How do we know we can trust you?"

"Fair question," Tim admitted, "I mean, I suppose I could have found a few dozen people willing to die to give you a false impression of life in ol' Praven, and could have some motive for tricking a foreigner I barely know into participating in an affair that I will be neck deep in when it comes to light. Though if it changes things, I've got two hundred more denars to sweeten the deal, a hundred for each of you."

"Right, well… I need to think on it," Korra finally answered. "How long until you want an answer?"

"I plan on this happening tonight, after sundown. If you want to take the job, I'll be at my house."

"Alright. We'll have an answer by then." Korra looked at Asami and nodded to the door. The two picked up their containers and left the tavern.

XXXX

"You usually aren't that hesitant," Asami noted as she watched Korra trying to waterbend again. "What happened to the Avatar that picked a fight with three Triad goons on her first day?"

Korra paused as she was in the middle of pushing back one of the waves, which had built up some decent height. "Manipulated by too many politicians to trust a guy I barely know to be straight with me over something like this."

"Fair enough," she admitted as she opened the book and started flipping through it. It was a manual that had been in her backpack alongside several other knickknacks like an old family photo and a stamp with Future Industries' logo. The manual itself was a Future Industries handbook covering a variety of topics, including an index of materials and other important data for engineers. _Definitely keeping this safe,_ Asami noted. This was the knowledge that could help start an industrial revolution like what had lead Fire Lord Sozin to initiating the Hundred Years War. It had gaps, but it was such a head start that filling in the gaps would be a matter of guided trial and error.

She glanced up as Korra groaned in frustration. "Having trouble?"

"I just don't get it," Korra answered as she threw her arms down and the small stream of water she had pulled out fell. "I mean, it's not like my chi is blocked, it's still flowing and I can feel it, but… it's just not strong enough. I don't know how to describe it, but…"

"It's like someone put a floodgate in and mostly closed it, so it's just a trickle?" Asami offered.

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"Believe it or not, Korra, non-benders learn the basics too." Asami smirked. "We can't use it, obviously, but it's one of the things we learn about in school, alongside things like math and basic biology."

"Speaking of that, I don't suppose your rucksack had any 'supplies', did it?"

She shook her head.

"Well, rags it is then. Remind me to make sure to buy some."

"Or we could pull them off the next set of bandits we take out, I've got at least another week before it's a problem," Asami suggested as she put the book back, leaning against Naga. The giant polar bear dog was sleeping, and Asami drifted off as well under the bright sun. It almost felt like a trip to the beach, just in heavier clothes than usual.

"So," Korra asked sometime later and Asami jolted awake, looking around as if expecting an attack before realizing she had just dozed off. "What should we do?"

"About the merchant?" Asami asked. "I think he's telling the truth. I mean, this whole thing is going to be dubiously legal, but then again so was us going Equalist hunting. And well, you're the Avatar; you've got a degree of prerogative there as far as dealing with this stuff."

"So I was told," Korra sorely noted as she folded her arms. "All anyone ever seemed to do was try to use me."

"Raiko never did. Sure, he was obstructing us, but I understand where he came from."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Let's be honest, we never gave him much to work on. All he had was an invasion of the Southern Water Tribe which, technically speaking, was an internal affair because of legal matters. Even if the two were separate practically, Unalaq was still in charge officially."

"Again, invasion."

"And we tried to start a barraty to drag the United Republics into it. I'm just glad he didn't forbid selling weapons - otherwise I'd probably be in jail for trying to sell Mecha Tanks to your dad."

"Not sure how you were going to get the pay, though," Korra noted as she glanced around. "I mean, the South wasn't exactly high on military mechanization."

Asami nodded, that was something she had realized on the trip to the South Pole. "Yeah. I think we let Varrick smooth talk us just a bit too much."

"Well, at least he'll be rotting in prison for the rest of his life. Though, what'll happen to Future Industries now?"

She paused as the numerous nightmare scenarios flashed by before she shook her head, including a far too smug Cabbage Corp owner who couldn't make handrails to keep workers safe if his life depended on it.

"We can't worry about that now. Unless you've got some sort of Avatar send-us-home trick, we're stuck here. And I don't think it'll be as simple as getting a ship and sailing." Asami paused, looking around. "I mean, we should probably keep our eyes open for a way home, but from what we were told that probably isn't going to be possible. It took Harmonic Convergence to send us here; what could send us home? Might as well at least try to have a good living here until we find a chance."

Korra nodded slowly. "Well, I'm thinking of taking up the offer. If you don't want to, I'll give you the money and have Naga stick with you. That way if something happens, you'll be able to get out of here."

"Hey, we're in this together, and really I think we should take him up on it. I mean, all else fails we beat up some guards and make tracks for one of the other nations here. Won't even be as hard as dodging your uncle - he had a whole fleet of battleships. So, did a few hours help at all?"

"It did," Korra answered with a grin as she drew the water out from her waterskin and whipped it forward before bringing it back. "It's mostly basics, but I've got my waterbending back enough for what we're doing. I guess I just need to work out."

"Sort of like rehab from poisoning. You work the muscles to deal with the atrophy and build them back up. Or in this case, work the chi flow until it recognizes the familiar patterns?" Asami paused as she looked at the setting sun. "What about your other bending?"

"I haven't tried anything else yet, and it's getting late."

Asami stood up and nodded, pulling the taser gauntlet out of the rucksack and sliding it on. "Let's tell him, then."

XXXXX

"Could they be any more obvious?" Korra muttered as she and Asami were walking to the rendezvous. It was night, a full moon lighting the way. She knew she would have her waterbending for the fight that night. And if the moonlight in Calradia didn't boost her bending, it still reassured her. Helped her feel that it would go well even though she left her shield and weapons behind. Asami had her gauntlet, but otherwise they had gone for full mobility.

"I know, if they don't realize we're coming then they shouldn't even be working minimum wage."

"Well, either way looks like we're about to start," Korra said as she saw the merchant give the signal. Suddenly, the townspeople milling around and nervously talking to each other drew various weapons. Knives, forks, rolling pins, pitchforks, a very large spoon, and more. Three of the guards also drew their weapons - an axe and short stabbing spears - and they all nodded to her.

"Okay, follow me," Korra said and lead them right up the alley to the guard captain's house. They only just turned into the alley when a gang of street toughs came out of the various corners, all armed to the teeth with clubs, butchering knives, and a few cobbled together weapons.

"Get 'em!" one of the thugs shouted and ran forward. Korra didn't give him the chance, whipping a stream of water into his face and the sheer velocity knocked him away.

"Take 'em out!" Korra ordered as the two groups merged into a fight. Asami was right behind her and her taser gauntlet was active, electrocuting one of the thugs that was trying to spear her. Asami simply sidestepped the tip, pulled the shaft up, and electrocuted the user.

An arrow whizzed past Korra's shoulder and hit the ground and she looked up. An archer was on the balcony. Bringing the water around, she shot the stream up and hit him in the face, staggering him before she pulled the stream back and broke the bow, snapping off the top end.

"Korra, watch out!" Asami shouted and Korra ducked just in time as a pair of stones flew past where her head was. One of the stones hit a townsman behind her. Korra grit her teeth and rushed forward, leaping over two muggers being brought down by one of the guards on their side and drawing the full contents of her waterskin, smashing a singular, large stream against the thugs and drenching the lot of them.

Several slipped and the two thugs throwing stones found themselves falling. Korra rushed forward, kicking one in the chest and into the other, and both slammed into a nearby barrel with a crash.

"They're running!" one of the guards shouted as the thugs began to flee.

"Chase them out of town, I'm going for the captain! Asami, with me!" Korra called as she drew the water up from the ground and back into the waterskin. The two made their way towards the door where a main was standing there with full metal armor and a large sword.

"What is the meaning of this?!" he demanded angrily. "You dare disturb the peace on _my_ watch?!"

"Some peace," Korra retorted, "considering that you let these thugs in."

"How did you… it was that merchant, wasn't - er, wait, what did you say?"

"Nice try," Korra said, rolling her eyes at his obvious cover up. "Now, you want to come quietly, or not?"

"Hah! I'm Alexander, Guard Captain of Praven, loyal soldier of Swadia! I don't surrender to foreign wenches!"

"Right then," Korra said as she splashed him with the contents of her waterskin. "Asami, you want to do the honors?"

Asami grinned darkly as she upped the charge on her gauntlet and moved forward. The guard captain swung his blade, but Asami leapt over and grabbed his arm, electrocuting him through his metal armor. And just as Republic CIty's metalbender police corps learned the hard way, metal armor was a _very_ good conductor into the human body, especially when drenched in water that slid into the gaps.

After a scream, the captain collapsed with his hair on end and fell face first into the mud.

XXXXXX

"That went far better than I had any right to expect."

It was an hour later. The thugs had been chased out and any that weren't caught had long since fled town. The three guards on their side had grabbed their former captain and were holding him hostage in the room next door while Korra and Asami met with the merchant.

"How many were injured?" Asami asked as the merchant walked in, looking worried.

"About six of them, and two were killed in the fight. I'm not sure if the others will make it."

"I'm sorry I couldn't do more," Korra said and Asami found her curling her lip. Korra had tried to see if she had her healing abilities back, and managed to slow the bleeding on some of the injured. But it was a far cry from what healers were capable of, and they went right for bandaging after Korra finished.

"You did what you could. Though, I have to say, a lot of them were uneasy about seeing your abilities."

"I thought bending was a known thing around here," Asami commented with a frown. "Just not nearly as common where we're from."

"In theory, but some people distrust it. It reeks of witchcraft. And healing? Well, no one's seen that before..."

_Brilliant_, Asami thought as she rolled her eyes. _We'll have to beat back superstitious farmers all day, won't we?_

"What happens now?" Korra asked. "I mean, we did just start a riot."

"I'm going to drag the captain and the other thugs we captured to King Harlaus' court. He's holding a feast now, so he's available and one of the door guards was in on this and agreed to let us in. Hopefully it'll make enough of an impression to get this settled once and for all."

"That seems extremely risky," Asami noted, "I mean, you're going to make him lose face in front of a public crowd?"

"I'm aware, but Dhirim is being besieged as we speak by the Vaegirs. If he's going to lose face, he'll lose plenty when that city falls. Besides, Harlaus respects martial prowess. He's no Nord, but we did cut to the chase here. Hopefully he'll appreciate that."

Asami still felt like this was going to end badly, but she knew there was no talking him out of it. He had set himself on a plan.

"Do you want us along? You know, make sure no one escapes?" Korra offered.

"No, you're not natives here and you might as well not highlight your involvement." He pulled out another sack. "Here, the two hundred denars I promised the two of you. Split it however you wish. And if all goes well, maybe we'll meet up at the tavern in the morning. I spoke with the barkeeper and she's willing to let you stay the night as a thank you for clearing out the bandits."

"Thanks," Asami said as she took the bag and checked one of the coins. She would need a proper trade scale - and the local standards of minting - to be sure, but it seemed to be in order. "Good luck."

"Thank you," the merchant said.

XXXXX

Korra yawned as she woke up, glancing around the unfamiliar woodwork and put a hand on her head. _Second night and I still expect to wake up back home,_ she thought with a sigh. She glanced to the other cot in the room where Asami was still sleeping. Naga had managed to squeeze into the room - the innkeeper was somewhat uneasy about the idea, but eventually decided that a giant dog being on the premise would at least be enough to give any lingering thugs pause.

Korra got off of the cot and started sliding her clothes on. Her armor was lying at the side of the cot, as was Asami's padded armor. Neither of them intended to wear armor to sleep unless they were in the open. She glanced towards the waterskin and drew a small amount of water from it.

_Petty,_ she mused and knew that more than one of the White Lotus instructors would have chewed her out over such a 'misuse' of bending, but Asami was right: it was like a muscle. She had to work it, and using it to fill the small wooden cup on the bedside was as good a way to get a little more exercise as any.

"Morning," she commented as Asami woke up a few minutes later. "Feeling better?"

"Well, it is nice to have a bed rather than being slumped against a shack wall," Asami admitted as she looked around. "How long you been up?"

"Just a few minutes."

Asami nodded, sliding out of bed and brushing her hair before putting the padded suit on. "So," she asked, "you put any thought on what you want to do next?"

"Honestly, I don't know," Korra admitted. She had been wrestling with that one before they had fallen asleep and she still had no clue. "I mean, we're in the wide open here. You have any ideas?"

"Not really; never been a freelance adventurer before. Maybe we could ask the innkeeper? She's bound to know a few people who have work for us."

"Worth a shot," Korra admitted as she stood and walked out the door, heading down the flight of stairs to the inn's main room.

"Mornin'," the innkeeper said as she walked by the counter. "Hope the accommodations were adequate."

"They were," she said with a nod as she glanced around. "So, uh, I don't suppose you know if there's anyone who'd be looking to hire me and my friend?"

"Mmmm," the innkeeper rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Well, the Guildmaster here's looking for some more escorts for a caravan to Suno. After all, with all that's happened he can't be too careful. But that'll probably be a one-time gig and the pay's only likely going to be four denars a guard."

Korra found herself wishing she had brought the map. "How far a trip is it?"

"Only a half day's travel, tops. Unless they run into trouble. Well, you're talents are pretty powerful in a fight, right?"

"They're usually a lot stronger," Korra noted.

The innkeeper nodded. "Well, King Harlaus is always looking for more mercenaries to fight the wars. Maybe once you get them back to full strength you might try that?"

_Yeah, no,_ Korra decided. She did not intend to be a hired hand for political wars. "Anything else?"

"You could always check for bounties. There's usually a couple standing ones, and sometimes lords need a hand in catching a fugitive, especially when there's a war on. Or maybe ask around the villages - they usually need help too. Though they're more likely to reward you with a wedge of cheese and good will rather than silver."

Asami came down and nodded. "I grabbed the map," she said.

"Thanks," Korra said as the main door opened and the merchant walked in. "Tim?"

"Oh, good, you're alive," he said with a weak smile as he walked over and sat down on a nearby stool. "It… didn't go as planned."

"Harlaus wasn't happy about you embarrassing him?" Asami asked.

"That's one way to put it," he admitted. "Oh, he was glad that we dealt with the issue - a captain who opens the gates to bandits may open it to the enemy in a war at the sight of enough silver - but we did raise a ruckus. So, he's exiling me from the city."

"What?" Korra asked, staring at him in shock. "As you said yourself, we plugged a big hole in his security, so he's rewarding you by kicking you out?"

"Well he had to save face and having me around is a reminder about how he failed. He's being quite reasonable about it, really. He's giving me time to make arrangements and sell my goods, and said he'd make sure that it was known that I should get a good, fair price for them. But I'll be catching the first ship to Geroia once that's settled."

"That doesn't make it right," Asami noted.

"Right? Young lady, this is Calradia. Weak kings have to put forth a face of authority first, justice second. And every king is weak here. To them, 'Right' is just an excuse for the strong to exercise their choices." Tim paused, as if realizing he had gone on a tangent. "But at least he didn't decide we all needed to be hanged. Actually, he was rather curious about you two. Don't go about reminding him of your involvement, of course, but he's probably wondering if you might be useful as a fighter for the wars. So if you need a job you could probably sell your swords to him. Or one of his rivals, if you prefer."

"Good luck wherever you end up, Tim," Korra said as she offered a hand. He took it with a nod and shook.

"Thank you. And good luck with whatever you end up doing." With that, he rose, nodded to them, and left.

"So," Asami asked as the tavern door shut. "Did you figure out a job for us?"

"How do you feel about escorting a caravan to a nearby city?" Korra asked. "Pay's not great, but it's only a half day trip."

"That it?"

"Unless you want to join an army, yeah. Or do bounty hunting."

"Caravan it is."

XXXXXX

**End Chapter**

Author's Notes:

_- While I weakened Korra's bending initially as a matter of not overpowering Calradia, at the same time bending is something important to Korra. I wanted to play around with her having to fight like a non-bender for a little bit since I honestly feel that was a massively missed opportunity after the first season (though one I understand why they didn't do given their time constraints and not wanting another near-miss like what almost happened with Aang at Ba Sing Se). But at the same time, I wanted Korra to get some bending back early. So, waterbending was the easy choice as her native element while having sufficient limitations for the early stage, normally not being so powerful to wreck large numbers of guys while still giving Korra sufficient personal strength for her abilities._

_- For those used to Mount & Blade, I wanted to not have Korra leap right into building a fighting force. It just didn't feel right, in my opinion, for Korra's first reaction to be 'welp, time to build an army' like it is for the players. That said, this _is_ Calradia. I just want it to make sense, plus a phase before there's an army to factor in is good for exploring Calradia and doing some world building._

_- Asami was an easy choice for Korra's first squadmate to find. Non-bender who can handle herself, gives Korra needed knowledge for politics, an engineer, and well, at long last the threat level is nicely balanced for her. Also, Asami's a great character and I always wanted to use her for this story._

_- Since I know someone is going to ask: In regards to Korra and Asami… if you're looking for smut, just type in "Korrasami" at DeviantART, turn off your mature filter, and you'll probably have what you want in the first few hits (we all know that even with the filter on you'll find some stuff). If you're looking for a romance between the two within the story's rating, well, this is post Book 2 Korra and Asami, not Book 4, so there's about a three year gap to build. Admittedly, one that could probably be compressed as long as there's no mercury poisoning. If you just don't like Korra and Asami together… even if I do have them get together as they did in canon, I have no intent of making this a shipping fic and as of now I probably wouldn't do it within the scope of what this fic will cover. However, as a friend of Korra's, Asami will have a major role in the story. I'm not writing this for the shipping wars, but given the shitstorm over the ending, a disclaimer seemed warranted._


	3. Fire Ferrets

The trip to Suno had been quiet, fortunately. The caravan had left mid morning and by the afternoon they were in a new city just to the east of Praven. Little happened on the trip save discussing recent events, which Korra and Asami paid close attention to, hoping to get abreast on current topics. They were paid right outside of the city and the caravan went inside, though they remained outside to eat lunch as there was a stream that Naga could drink out of.

Though when they entered the after finishing, a large platoon of foot soldiers and nearly two dozen cavalrymen wearing heavy armor and carrying massive weapons began to march out.

"What's going on?" Korra asked as they were at one of the roadside markets, specifically one selling weapons.

"Count Klargus must be movin' out his levies," the weaponsmith remarked. "Dhirim's been hit hard by the Vaegirs and Marshall Delinard's trying to get everyone not at that feast in Praven to march. The Count showed up 'round midnight; must've ridden hard from Praven to get here so fast."

"A city's being besieged and your king's holding a party?" she asked, staring at him. "I mean, I can understand a victory celebration, but I heard the war was in stalemate."

The weaponsmith shrugged. "Who knows why the nobles do what they do? Anyways, you want to buy a weapon? I've got a nice, tempered arming sword for a good price!"

Korra glanced at the stock. A number of good weapons - and many bad ones - but nothing she needed. "No thanks, I think I'm good."

"Your loss - best weapons in Swadia."

Asami tapped Korra's shoulder. "Hey, I just overheard that the guy in charge of a city called Uxkhal is looking for someone to rescue a family member."

"That'd be Marshall Delinard," the weaponsmith chimed in.

"You mind?" Korra asked, glaring at him before turning back to Asami. "What happened?"

"Prisoner of war."

"Do we really want to get involved in the wars?"

"I know, but it might help to have some connections up high."

Korra paused, then nodded. This was something Asami knew more than her about. "Alright, sounds good. When do you want to head out?"

"Whenever you're ready. See anything you like?"

"Nah. Though, rescue attempt?"

"Yeah."

"We should probably get some rope."

XXXXXX

"Count, two mercenaries are here offering to help with your son."

Korra looked up across the hall. It had taken a half a night's ride to get to the town, and once they arrived they had bunked at a local inn until the morning. Putting on their armor again, they had headed for the keep that formed the center of Uxkhal.

And as she looked at the count - a man who was probably in his forties with brown hair and a full beard, a large sword hanging at his side - her reservations about politicians came back to mind.

"Thank you, Sergeant," the count said as he rose, making the heraldry on his tabard more visible. White with two black, twin headed birds emblemized on it.

Asami bowed her head, and Korra followed suit. _Play along,_ she thought.

"So, you two believe you can rescue my son?" the count asked as he rose from his throne and walked forward, looking them over. "It's rare to see women in arms, but I will take a worthy blade regardless of the hand that wields it. Welcome to Uxkhal, ladies. Might I know your names?"

"Thank you, Count," Asami answered before giving Korra a quickly glance. "My name is Asami Sato."

"Korra," she supplied. "And we think we can. We've dealt with worse."

"Infiltrating Dramug Castle will be no mean feat. Boyar Druli is a skilled commander of arms - for a Vaegir, anyways. And it will be well guarded. But, if you are willing to do this, I would be happy to compensate you for your efforts when my son is returned safely."

"What do you know about this castle?" Korra asked.

"It's an old fort, but has been well maintained over the years. Built into the hills, it is a sturdy wooden palisade. Normally breachable with siege engines, but the Vaegirs have had us on the ropes."

_Sounds like firebending's the key,_ Korra thought before writing it off as unlikely. Wood burned, but there were ways to make it harder to burn in order to give them more than enough time to put out any fires.

"The garrison has likely been reduced for the siege on Dhirim, but it will still be potent as it is a frontline castle. This will mean that Boyar Druli is unlikely to be present, so you will not have to contend with his hordes of unwashed serfs. Still, getting inside will be difficult."

"What about infiltration?" Asami asked.

"I actually discussed this with my men; you could enter in disguise or openly, knock out the gaoler, take the keys from him, and release my son. But then you'll be up against dozens of angry guards with no support. Though if you have any connections in Vaegir lands, that might help."

Korra shook her head. "No, we're new around here."

"Mmm. Well, the other option is to just take the place. That is, if you two have troops to command?"

"Just the two of us," Asami supplied. "Though, I think we'll be able to get inside. Do you have any maps of the castle?"

"Only the outer fortifications, any buildings inside will likely have been rebuilt after the storms last season," Delinard explained. "But, are you willing to take the job?"

Korra glanced at Asami and gave a slight nod. Asami returned it.

"We will," Korra said. "How long do we have?"

"As soon as possible, before he is transferred deeper into Vaegir lands in the custody of Boyar Druli's friends. Ideally within a week, but if I do not hear of you for a month I will assume the worst."

_At least he's honest about how dangerous it is,_ Korra noted with some appreciation. The extended timeframe seemed somewhat extreme, though. A whole month before writing them off as dead? She chalked it down to news traveling slowly.

"However, if you decide that you are unable to rescue him, I will not hold it against you so long as you tell me. This is a difficult task to perform with an army supporting you. But, if you are successful, two thousand denars will be yours, and if you successfully ransom my son, I will cover that cost as well."

"Anything else we should know?"

"I will show you a portrait of Rafard, so you will be able to recognize him. Otherwise, good fortune in your endeavours, ladies."

XXXX

"So what did that count mean by 'ransom'? If his son's a prisoner of war, why would they release him for money? Prisoner exchange I could understand, but money?"

"Old school warfare," Asami remarked as the two were on the road, heading to the northeast and hoping to cut around the frontlines. "Why kill a rich commander when you can capture him and get enough money to pay your army for a few weeks by releasing him?"

"Oh come on," Korra retorted as she tugged on Naga's reins before she chased a small animal scurrying nearby. "That's silly - one, you assume that your opponents would be willing to pay and trust you that much, and two, why give them a skilled commander back just for money?"

"The rules were different then," Asami answered as she wondered how thorough the White Lotus had been about Korra's history education. "Before the Hundred Years War, in any Earth Kingdom or Fire Nation conflicts - mostly the internal ones - it was common for important leaders to be ransomed rather than imprisoned or killed. The idea of total war came out of the Hundred Years War and ended that."

"Right, along with throwing the full nation's industry into it. Though didn't that die out about twenty years into the war?"

"The Fire Nation had to ease off when it stopped to consolidate, yeah. The Earth Kingdom was never able to adopt it fully either. I've always wondered how it would have ended if both sides went in completely."

"War weariness probably would have destroyed them," Korra said with a shrug. "I mean, how many times did it devolve into two armies staring at each other? The middle half of it was mostly skirmishes - major battles start it off, tempo died down, then it got started in full again when Iroh - the first one, not the United Forces general - began his campaigning and pushed straight to Ba Sing Se." Korra paused, lip curling.

"Something wrong?" Asami asked, wondering what was gnawing at Korra.

"It's just kind of weird. I mean, knowing what he became. It's hard to imagine him a conquering general."

"We never know what we end up. I never would have imagined being friends with the Avatar; well, besides childish fantasy as a little girl." Or pretending she _was_ the Avatar.

Korra smirked. "Well, that's one that you managed to live up to."

"Though, you ever wonder how you'd handle the war if you were the Avatar then?"

"Join the frontlines, start wrecking armies?" Korra offered as she glanced back with a smile. "Assuming I arrived full strength and I displaced Aang."

"I guess you would have been the Avatar for the era. At least until it was time to put together the peace."

"Yeah…" Korra shifted awkwardly. "Diplomacy isn't my strong point. I'm actually trying to figure out why the White Lotus never tried teaching me that besides 'you must be wise' and all that."

"It's not something you can really teach," Asami pointed out as she put a hand on Korra's shoulder. "I mean, there's rhetoric and the structure of an argument, but that's all ivory tower stuff to refine it. You gotta learn it by experience."

"So, socializing."

"Wait, the White Lotus didn't let you socialize?" Asami asked, surprised.

"I was in the middle of nowhere in a military compound - not a lot of human interaction that wasn't authority figures, my parents, or Tenzin's family visiting." Korra's grip on the reins tightened. "Yeah, if I get a chance to leave instructions, I'm making it clear that if they find the next Avatar at my age, try and make sure he or she gets socialized."

"Probably not as easy as you make it sound."

"Yeah, I was lucky enough to find Mako, Bolin, you…"

"And you got a chance to play as an equal in Pro Bending."

"That too… hey, we're going the right way, right?"

Asami reached for the rucksack on the saddle and pulled out the map, cross referencing it with a compass she had picked up in Suno for a bargain. "We are," she said as she looked up. "Though we should probably find a place to camp soon, it'll be dark soon."

"Any village close enough?"

Glancing around and trying to do a quick estimate on how far they had gone in relation to the map, she shrugged. "We could try Chide, but we'd need to double back."

"Scratch it, let's just find a nice quiet spot and camp."

Two hours later and as dusk settled, they had found a small alcove in the cliffside. Naga settled down at the campsite while the two women set up a campfire with brush and sticks, though Asami mostly just gathered the material and gave Naga her food. Korra set up the campfire itself, making a small fire pit with earthbending and then lighting it with firebending once Asami put in the wood.

"That's about as much as I can do," Korra noted as they settled down against some of the larger rocks and started on dinner.

"I'm surprised," Asami admitted. "The way you set it up, I could've sworn you've gone camping before. Weren't you locked up in a fortress?"

"I was," Korra noted, "but Avatar or not, my parents still wanted me to learn important survival skills that any Water Tribe member learns - making camp, hunting, makeshift shelter in the snow, and so on. It took some persuading with the White Lotus; you should've heard the argument over me ice dodging, that almost came to blows."

"Wait, that wasn't just something Varrick made up for the movers?" Asami asked, staring at her in surprise. She had written off taking a boat through icy straits as more tribal stereotypes from Varrick, not as something seriously done as a rite of passage into adulthood.

"Some don't do it anymore, but with how strong boats are now it's more of a family outing than anything," Korra noted with a shrug. "How bad was that Nuktuk thing anyways? It wasn't looking like quality theaterwork."

Asami shifted awkwardly before answering, not sure how to broach the subject given that it was, in the end, a racist production. "Well, it's a lot of stereotypes. You saw Bolin in costume, right?"

Korra simply nodded as she tore off part of the meat she was eating. "Well, Varrick was crazier than a sewer pipe elephant rat. If he made racist propaganda about his own culture, that's him being a maniac. No skin off my back."

"It was technologically impressive, though. Not the thing I'd point to about what the tech could do, but…"

Korra simply nodded as she swallowed. "Hopefully it ends up in good hands. I'd love it if they'd record Pro Bending matches - I mean, not only is it a great way to get some replay out of a match, but you can show it to those who missed the actual match, teams can watch them to see what went wrong…"

"Undeniable proof of certain cheaters cheating?" Asami smirked as she recalled that fateful night. "You know, I think they got lucky with Amon."

Korra's face immediately hardened.

"Sorry," Asami quickly said, mentally backpedalling. "I meant that after what happened to them, they were sorry victims, not the targets of an angry lynch mob."

"I know what you meant," Korra explained as she glanced towards Naga and tossed an extra bit of meat towards her. The polar bear dog ate it up quickly. "It's just… I wouldn't use the word 'lucky' with losing bending in any circumstance. It's… horrible. You ever hear of ghost limbs?"

Asami raised an eyebrow. "I don't think I have."

"Basically, you lose your arm - accident, battle, what have you. Sometimes, you feel like its there. Now imagine that throughout your whole body…"

"... as if you were missing your chi paths," Asami finished, though wrapping her head around it was something she didn't feel like she could do. She never had to deal with it. "Like you're missing part of your body. Your whole body."

"Exactly. You just feel… empty. You never saw Tahno after what happened to him, did you?"

"Only when you gave him and the other Wolfbats their bending back, so no."

"It's not something I can put into words, and even if you wanted to understand what I'm talking about I wouldn't even try to do it. But it's horrible."

The campsite remained silent for the rest of the night, save for the two taking turns finding a nearby bush to relieve themselves (along with the added difficulties of getting their armor off to do so), and Korra volunteering for first watch.

XXXXXX

"That map undersold how hilly the back end of the fort was," Korra noted as they were just a mile west of Dramug Castle, hidden in the wooded hills. It had taken most of the day to get there, but not because of distance.

Rather, they took the long way around to avoid being mixed up in numerous Vaegir troops, mostly small raiding parties that seemed to be out looking for something to fight, taking a long way around the north and cutting briefly into Nord territory before dipping back south into Vaegir lands. Ironically, once they reached Vaegir territory the patrols seemed to cease and they had made their way into the woods. It was midday now, giving them plenty of time to prepare.

"It did," Asami agreed as Korra passed her the telescope and Asami looked at the tower. "So, what were you thinking about getting in?"

"Wait 'till nightfall, climb up the back wall, drop in quick and quiet. Then get out the same way."

Asami glanced back towards where Naga was sitting. "What about a fast getaway? I mean, once we get the count out they're bound to notice something's wrong…"

"That's why I want to do it late at night," Korra explained with a slight smile. "The best time to give the White Lotus the slip was night, especially if there was something to get their attention like a Pro Bending game on the radio. Guard shifts usually get smaller at night because people need to sleep."

"True, but it's the difference between guarding a military fort and just being on standby in case something happens. I mean, let's be honest if someone tried to kidnap you on Air Temple Island it wouldn't take too much to realize someone's wrong."

"Yeah, but the White Lotus guards were probably a lot more disciplined than these guys." Korra paused as Asami handed the telescope back, looking at the two guards in the main tower. "Though, I will say, these guys don't look as unwashed as they were described. Just an unhealthy love of big weapons." The huge straightened scythe one had strapped to his back stood out to her.

"I'm still not sure about our exit," Asami said as she pulled out the map. "I mean, slipping in the back is one thing, but getting out? It might be a good idea to get your earthbending back first. That way we can disable the gate lock, knock it open, and then make a run for it to Naga or even steal some horses."

"I don't think we have enough time for me to get it back to that level," she noted as she considered how long it took to get her waterbending back to combat shape. "I mean, I'll spend a couple hours on it before we hit the place, but I think it'll be mostly waterbending again."

"We've got plenty of time, we can wait a day or two if it gets everything ready."

"I'm not sure we want to break out the front door anyways, I mean, won't they just run us down? There's nowhere to hide to the east and if we steal horses, they're not going to be able to get in here. We'll have to walk all the way around the fort, exposed the whole time."

Asami nodded slowly, putting a hand on her chin as she looked between the map and the castle. "Well, there's a few blind spots in the back. If we hug the wall, we could probably climb up without being seen as long as we time it right. And if we're quick, we might even be able to drop down to the courtyard before the guards can see us. The only problem I'm seeing is if the garrison wakes up."

Korra nodded slowly. Asami was right: if the garrison woke up, the sheer numbers would wear them down. But if discovered, it would not be that everyone would be on them instantly. They would have some wiggle room between the alarm being raised and having the whole garrison trying to chop them to pieces.

"It's going to be risky, but I don't see any other way to do it," she finally said before sighing. They had enough rope, at least, but everything else was pushing it. "Alright, let's head deeper into the woods so the noise doesn't get their attention."

"Sounds good," Asami said as she packed up the map and they delved deeper into the woods.

XXXXX

Hours later, after night had fallen and a long time after dinner, Korra and Asami were quietly creeping towards the fort, staying behind rocks and the hillside to avoid the main tower's sentries. On the upside, the standing guard had been reduced compared to what it was during the day, far fewer soldiers milling about. However, the now-waning moon still provided light even through the thick clouds.

Korra gestured forward as she saw the guard walking along the wall enter the tower to their left and the two hurried forward. They had taken a minimal amount of kit - their armor, the rope, Asami's gauntlet and Korra's waterskin, and nothing else. Their weapons - from the crossbow to the shield - were left behind to minimize the amount of noise.

Once at the wall, they pushed their bodies against it to provide as small a profile as possible to any observers and waited. The guard came back, walking along the wall and to the main tower. As soon as Korra heard him climbing the steps away from the wall and into the main tower, Korra slid the rope off from around her body and handed it to Asami.

Asami pulled the end out and Korra drew a small amount of water from her waterskin, gripping the tied end of the rope and gave Asami a nod. Asami swung the rope into the air and Korra used the water to push it towards one of the larger wooden timbers, bringing the opening of the rope around the sharpened tip at the top and dropping is snuggly around. Asami gave it an experimental pull and nodded as Korra brought the water back into the skin.

_So far so good,_ Korra thought as the two climbed as quietly as possible. Korra's heart was pounding as they climbed. They were at pure luck here - any Vaegir so much as glanced in their direction, and the whole plan was busted. Or worse, if the guard decided not to raise the alarm and instead just shot them before they realized they were compromised.

_Focus, don't worry about that,_ Korra reminded herself as they reached the top and Korra grabbed the rope, pulling it back up and nodding to Asami as they saw the prison building. A short drop away, but far enough that the landing would risk alerting the guards.

Asami gestured down as Korra brought the last of the rope back up, and she nodded. The two jumped down, landing on the wooden roof covered in thatching and sliding down it. The thatch rubbed against Korra's arms as she slid down, but no one seemed to notice as they dropped to the ground and quickly ran around to the door of the building.

"What the...?" the guard started before his face was covered in water and frozen solid, leaving him unable to breath. The guard's eyes were wide as Korra moved closer to him, arms outstretched as she stepped into the torchlight.

Asami moved forward quickly, running past Korra and getting behind the guard. Korra melted the ice keeping him from breathing and the guard collapsed, gasping for air before Asami covered his mouth and held him in a sleeper hold. Korra stepped forward and pulled the keys from the guard, unlocking the door and prying it open.

No one was inside waiting for them, and Korra gestured in. Asami nodded to the guard's feet. The two dragged him inside, and once he was in Korra locked the door and Asami dropped the guard on the ground. He was barely conscious, wheezing as the sleeper hold was released.

"Getting out isn't going to be as easy," Asami noted as she gave the guard a kick to the back of the head to knock him out.

"That's why I grabbed the rope," Korra retorted as she passed the keys to Asami.

"Still would have felt better if you were able to earthbend before we did this."

"Me too," Korra admitted, unable to stop her annoyance from creeping into her voice. Unlike restoring her waterbending where all it took was some practice, her earthbending stubbornly refused to do anything more than light terrain deformation and moving pebbles.

Not that it mattered now; they had a job to do. "But the sooner we get this done, the better. Any deeper and we'd have to avoid a lot more than just the frontline." Korra gestured further inside.

The prison building was darkly lit. Korra held her palm open and created a small flame - the most she could do with her firebending at the time. It did not light up the whole room, but it was enough for them to see. A few tables, a large chest that had some gear lying on it, and a ladder stored in a corner.

"Better than nothing," Asami commented. "I'd still take a flashlight, though."

"Definitely," Korra agreed as they walked into the corner and found a trapdoor next to the ladder. "I think this is it."

Asami nodded and unlocked it, opening the trap door and seeing a spot for the ladder to go. Right next where the ladder would land was a man wearing chainmail and a dirty, torn tabard with the twin headed bird emblem on it.

"Looks like Rafard to me," Asami said.

"Huh?" the man said. "Who're you two? And how do a pair of foreign mercenaries know what I look like?"

"Your father sent us to rescue you," Asami explained as Korra slid the ladder in.

"My father sent _wenches_ to save me? You've got to be kidding me…"

"Classy," Korra said as she rolled her eyes. "So, any of your troops held here?"

"No, none of them. Just two criminal scum. Dirty brothers."

"Criminal scum?!" A familiar, boyish voice retorted. "Hey what does that make you mister prisoner-of-war! You were pillaging that village!"

"Bolin!" another man's voice cut in.

"What? I'm just saying, we were just in town, but this guy was burning people's homes! Besides, we didn't even steal anything, I was just looking at that cat! It was so cute…"

Korra and Asami glanced at each other, eyes wide. Delinard had neglected to mention that fact about his son's capture. Asami shook her head and Korra nodded. _We can argue over this later,_ she thought.

The two slid down the ladder. Inside was not just the young nobleman, but two more young men. One was thinly built and wore a red scarf, while the younger of the two still had his baby fat.

"Mako, Bolin, what did you two do this time?"

"Korra! Asami!" Bolin squealed, running over and hugging them, handcuffs rattling the whole way. "What're you doing here?!"

"Same reason as you two," she answered. "Except I didn't get tossed in jail."

"Probably for the best," Mako commented uncertainly, glancing away from them. "Though, our bending's not at full strength. It's still good, but I don't think I can pull off lightning."

"Bolin's earthbending enough to knock the gate open?" Korra asked. "We're breaking out this guy for a job, but we'll get you out as well."

"Yeah, I could probably force a gate open if its unlocked," Bolin commented. "Just don't ask me to bring down a wall to get us out of here."

"That might be a bit tough," Asami remarked as she unlocked Rafard's cuffs. "Naga won't be able to carry all of us, especially with the armor we're wearing. We'll need to steal some horses from the garrison."

"Forget the peasants, do your job and get me out of here!" Rafard demanded. "My personage is far more important than these street rats!"

"Hey, these 'street rats' are our friends," Korra snarled as she whirled around to face the Swadian nobleman as Asami moved on. "Besides, they'll be more than helpful in an escape. So shut your trap, get up that ladder, and grab your gear. Mako, Bolin, did you two get anything when you showed up?"

"Some armor, cash, and food, but I think the cash and food got tossed to the garrison," Mako explained.

"We've got more than enough," Asami pointed out as she finished unlocking his cuffs. "Let's get moving, we can talk once we're clear of these guys. And where's Pabu?"

"He scurried clear and followed us, but wasn't able to snatch the keys. He smelled something familiar an hour or so ago, though," Bolin explained.

"Probably Naga," Korra guessed. "Come on!"

Once everyone was above, they opened the large chest of gear. Rafard grabbed his weapons, though there was also two sets of armor. Korra recognized them immediately - one was a police uniform meant for high agility non-metalbenders, the other was a slightly modified Pro Bender uniform with a green belt. And two helmets to go with them, a police motorcycle helmet for Mako and a pro bender one for Bolin, modified slightly to cover his hair. The two also grabbed small backpacks and slid them on.

"Surprised they took the armor off of us but left it on him," Bolin remarked as Rafard was strapping on a belt with a scabbard and drew his sword.

"I am a noble, peasant," Rafard snorted. "There are certain things you don't do to nobles. Your stuff was probably going to be sold to some peddler to cover the expenses of sparing you."

"Seriously, how'd you end up having to rescue this guy?" Bolin asked as Mako hooked a riot baton to his belt. "He's a _jerk_."

"Bolin, enough," Asami ordered as they heard shouting outside. "We need to move, now!"

"Right," he answered as he grabbed a club of traditional Water Tribe design, "Let's kick some guard butt!"

"We'll need to get the gate open," Korra noted as she quickly thought about how to split them. "Mako, Bolin, keep Rafard safe and grab a ride, Asami and I will unlock the gate, then Bolin knocks it open with earthbending. We'll meet at the village to the east of here once we're all clear!"

"How're you two getting out?" Mako asked before glancing at the rope around Korra's torso as they ran outside. "Right, got it!"

"_Stop right there!"_ a guard shouted from a nearby tower. He didn't get to last long as Mako immediately shot a fireball at him and knocked him out of the tower.

"Prison break!" another guard shouted. "Everyone up, we've got a prison break!"

"And that was why we didn't break ourselves out, Bolin," Mako muttered as everyone sprang towards their task. They only had a short amount of time before the whole garrison came down on them.

Korra and Asami sprinted up the stairs next to the gate as a guard came charging down, large battle axe in hand. He swung low and Korra caught the attack with her waterbending, freezing the axehead solid with the water from her waterskin before decking him across the face and tossing him off the stairs.

"Burn you wenches!" another Vaegir shouted as he punched towards them from over ten feet away and a large fireball shot towards them. Korra smirked and turned to face the attacker.

Instinct took over and as the fireball reached her she dispersed it, finessing the energy of the fireball away as she had been trained to do. Some of the heat still reached her, but she had prevented the worst of it.

The guard had just a moment to realize what had happened before Korra shot a stream of water at him and knocked him into a post holding up the roof of the tower he had charged out of, his holstered mace clattering as he slid down.

"How's the gate coming?" Korra asked as she glanced back and saw Asami at the lever.

"Just unlocked it. Bolin, now!"

"No problem!" he shouted before there was a loud _crack_ and Korra heard the gates crashing open, quickly followed by lots of noise from the horses.

"That's our cue to leave," Korra remarked as an arrow whizzed past her and she saw an archer at the top of the main tower and more guards were heading their way from the main tower. The garrison was waking up. "Asami?"

"Yeah, original exit?"

"Original exit!"

The two sprinted towards the back end of the fort, where the ground sloped into uneven hills, and Korra slid the rope off from around her torso as Asami grabbed a spearman's spear, shoved it aside, and electrocuted him with her gauntlet before tossing him over her shoulder. Korra handed the rope to Asami and struck at the archer above them with a water stream, freezing his bow and the hand he held it with.

"Okay, let's hope it holds," Asami remarked as she gave the rope a tug as Korra noticed that a building in the courtyard was on fire.

Korra ignored that and nodded to her. Asami leapt over the wall and grabbed the rope as she slid over, quickly scaling down the wall. Korra knocked away another guard with an axe before jumping after her, following her down to the ground and landing roughly as she was not as quick about slowing her movement. Korra quickly found herself thankful for the gloves she had on - she knew she would have had rope burns from how fast she was dropping.

"We going to try to recover it?" Asami asked as they both reach the ground. Their answer came in the form of several arrows as other archers made it on station. Suddenly, something sharp shot into her shoulder and Korra dropped to a knee and looked at it. An arrow was sticking out of her shoulder.

"Nope!" she shouted as she gripped her shoulder and gestured away with her head. The two sprinted away, hurrying behind the cover of the hill as more arrows - some of them on fire - followed them. An alarm bell was ringing, and there was lots of shouting in the garrison.

"That was close," Korra admitted, wincing painfully as they made it into where the woods thickened and the Vaegirs stopped firing arrows after them. Her shoulder was in pain, but the armor had slowed it down enough that she did not think it was too deep. The adrenaline still raging through her body and keeping the pain from shutting her down.

"Too close," Asami agreed as Naga walked over to them… with a small orange fire ferret sitting on her head.

"Bolin was right, Pabu did smell Naga," Asami remarked with a smirk before looking at the arrow. "Hey, your shoulder okay?"

"Yeah," Korra answered as she held the arrow tight and snapped it two inches above where it entered her armor, dropping the wooden shaft onto the ground. "Armor caught the worst of it it - we can get the arrowhead out once we've got some distance and time."

Asami nodded and helped her up. "You want me to take the reins?"

"I should be able to," Korra said as she grabbed the reins as Pabu perched on Asami's shoulder.

Asami nodded as Naga stood and began to run as Korra tightened her grip on the reins. "So, how do you think Mako and Bolin are doing? I mean, have they ridden anything like a horse before?"

Korra paused, and could actually imagine Bolin's panicked scream as he tried to keep it in control.

XXXXXXX

A half mile to the east, however, Mako and Bolin were on one horse while Rafard was on another. Mako was at the reins.

"So uh, Mako, where did you learn to ride one of these things?" Bolin asked.

"Hey, I was the one who rode old school to the South Pole, rather than taking a snowmobile."

"Good point," Bolin admitted. "So uh, what're we gonna do about this guy? I mean, we both saw what he did."

"You stupid peasants, I am a Count of Swadia, and ruler of the village Nomar. Dealing with these drunk Vaegirs is my duty."

"Then destroy their army, leave civilians out of it," Mako shot back angrily.

"Hmph. Insolent peasants."

Mako sighed as he looked around to see if anyone else was coming. A moment later, Bolin spoke up.

"So uh, Mako, why didn't we break ourselves out? I mean, we got out just fine."

"Yeah, because Korra and Asami had a plan," he retorted. "If we tried, we'd first need to get out of those cuffs, then get up that trap door, open it from the inside, get through that locked door, and then escape before the guards figure out something was up. And well, you're not a metalbender, so…"

"Right, too much for us to take on. So, when would we have made our move?"

Mako paused, considering. "Well, the best time would have been when they moved us somewhere. Just have to wait and see, sometimes."

The horses suddenly stopped, snorting loudly. "Hold on," Rafard said as he drew his longsword. "They smell something…"

Bolin glanced back. "Heyhey! Mako, take a look, it's Naga!"

"Who?" Rafard asked as he turned his head. "What in the heavens is _that_?!"

"That is a giant polar bear dog," Mako explained with a grin.

Rafard's face went a little pale as Korra and Asami caught up with them.

"Anyone chasing us?" Korra asked. "We didn't see anyone."

"Nope," Mako answered, noticing a the end of an arrow embedded in Korra's shoulder. "Rafard cut the restraints on their horses and once we were leaving I set the stable roof on fire, the horses scattered out of the fort after us. Though, that arrow...?"

"Armor stopped the worst of it," Korra explained, gritting her teeth briefly as her hand moved towards her shoulder. "I'll get it out properly once we're sure we've gotten some distance from the Vaegirs."

"We could probably stop here and do it if the Vaegirs' rides are gone," Asami said as she glanced at Rafard. "So, what was this about burning a village?"

"Simple tactical considerations. You burn the enemy's holdings so they lose the ability to recruit more troops as their populace is scattered," Rafard answered. "We don't do it in peacetime, if that's what you're suggesting. It's simply a measure of war. One some of us find distasteful, yes, but perfectly valid."

Korra visibly tensed and Mako knew why immediately. "Well, it's your call Korra," he said. "We taking him back to his dad?"

"We are," she said grimly. "We promised his father we'd have him back. But don't think that this means we approve of what you did. And you better hope we never catch you in the act."

"You lot really don't know who your superiors are, do you? If you hadn't rescued me I would cut you down here and now."

"Hey buddy, you're talking to the freaking _Avatar_," Bolin pointed out. "If you tried you'd be a smear on the ground."

"The _what_?"

"It's a position where we're from," Korra explained quickly. "It's complicated, but it's why I can bend all four elements. It's not a position of rulership like what you and your father have, but it is well respected in important matters between nations. And one of the more satisfying parts of the job would be taking down people like you when they try to hurt innocents."

Rafard sighed. "What was my father reduced to, to have my rescuers be _this_…"

XXXXXXX

"You sure we're far enough?" Korra asked a half hour later as they stopped at the base of a gentle hill where there were some large rocks.

"We need to get that arrow out," Asami remarked.

Korra nodded and carefully dismounted. "Alright, hunting knife should be in the rucksack."

"You stay, I am going home," Rafard said as he spurred his horse on and continued to ride. Korra grit her teeth, shaking her head.

"Let him go," she said as she sat down and leaned against a flat rock and looked at her shoulder guard more closely. The arrow had thoroughly lodged itself inside; she was going to need to remove the main piece of armor before removing it. _That's the problem with making the main body all one piece,_ she thought irritably.

"Alright, we need to get the chest piece off first," Asami said as Bolin was tying the horse's reins to a nearby rock and Mako hurried over.

"Yeah," Korra answered as she reached under it. "Mako, can you hold the arrow steady?"

"Got it," he said as he carefully held the shaft in place as Korra undid the restraints under the armor before nodding and leaning forward so they could pull it off. She inhaled sharply as pain shot from her arm as part of the arrow shaved off the edge and was pulled out with it, leaving only the tip of the arrow in her shoulder.

"Korra!" Asami shouted, "you okay?"

"I'm… fine…" she muttered as the pain was starting to overwhelm her. "Fuck, that hurt!"

"We still need to get the arrowhead out," Mako said. "Asami, can you hand me the knife?"

"You've done this before?" she asked as she handed it to him.

He looked at it, sighed, then nodded. "Yeah; Bolin got part of a broken metal can stuck in him when we were on the streets. I haven't done it with a knife this big or a piece that small, but if I'm careful I should be able to open the wound enough that we can get it out without causing further damage. You ready?"

"Do it," Korra said as Asami grabbed one of the unused rags from the rucksack and wadded it up.

"Here," Asami said as she held it out, "you might want to bite down."

Korra blinked, then opened her mouth. Asami put the rag in and Korra bit down on it as soon as Asami had removed her hand.

"Asami, can you hold Korra's arm down?" Mako asked. "Just in case. Bolin, you and Pabu keep an eye out for trouble!"

"Got it!" the earthbender answered as Korra felt Asami holding her arm down. Resigning herself to pain as they had no anesthetic available, Korra closed her eyes.

Mako began to cut, carefully working on her shoulder around the arrowhead with the tip of the knife, creating an opening and widening the wound so that it could be removed without further and uncontrolled tearing. Pain shot through her body with every tiny insertion Mako made, and Korra found herself biting through the cloth as she fought down the desire to scream. Naga edged closer to her, laying her head on Korra's other hand and whimpering quietly.

After what seemed to be hours, she felt something sharp being pulled from her shoulder, with all the pain that entailed. "Got it!" Mako shouted. Korra opened her eyes and saw him holding the bloody arrowhead between his fingers, which were also covered in blood. Her blood.

Korra sagged back in relief despite the pain and felt Asami's grip slacking. The cloth fell out of her mouth as she leaned back, daring to look at the wound in her shoulder. The armor had as she expected stopped the worst of it - the layer of metal beneath the hide had slowed its momentum down - but the barbed shaft had still gotten through. Asami was looking slightly sick as she looked away from the wound, while Mako wrapped the arrowhead in a piece of cloth he ripped off from what Korra had bit down on. As he put it down, a small fire ignited at the tip of his pointer finger.

"You want me to cauterize it?" he asked, looking at her.

She shook her head as she prodded for Naga to back off. As the polar bear dog stood up, she used her right hand to draw some water from the waterskin and held it over the wound, focusing.

"We'll still need to bandage it," Asami noted as Korra finished. The wound was not fully healed, but it was on its way and if it had been infected the infection was almost certainly gone. Korra nodded as Asami quickly tied the wound up in a rag. "You still going to be able to heal through that?"

"I can move it along," she said. "Though, you might want to take Naga's reins while I do that. Let's get moving."

XXXXXXX

"Thank you, for rescuing my son, and I apologize for his behavior towards you. That was most rude of him."

"You're welcome," Korra as they met with Delinard again a day later.

They were not in Uxkhal like they had expected, but a large camp south of Dhirim where a Swadian army had assembled to retake the now fallen city before the Vaegirs could further fortify it. Though from what they had overheard from soldiers milling about while entering the camp, it was only a fraction of their whole host as most of the lords were in Praven for the feast and would only just now be coming back to the field. It would take them a day to arrive.

The tent was large, but utilitarian, with the only furniture being a large table with a map and a cot. Delinard's helmet and the heavier plates of his armor was mounted on a stand nearby. Though, the four adventurers, while still wearing their armor, had left their helmets with Naga - they all wanted to get out of them for a while and it was polite for the meeting.

"However," Bolin started uncertainly, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Not to be rude mister, ah, sir…"

"Count," Asami chimed in.

"Right, Count... your son was burning an innocent village."

Delinard sighed. "I received the report about it. It's not a practice that I approve of, but it is a valid tactic. Destroy the revenue of the enemy. Still, it's something that should be done sparingly. After all, when we drive the Vaegirs into their own territory, their people will remember that even when their vassalage changes hands."

"He won't get punished for it?" Bolin asked, dismayed and Korra felt her gut tightening. She knew she did not trust politicians for a reason.

"Had he done so in peacetime, I would personally punish him. But this is war." Delinard gestured to an attendant standing nearby. "Still, here is the pay I promised. Two thousand denars, and my gratitude."

The attendant was holding a small chest and Korra half wanted to tell him to keep the money, but they needed it and on top of that, Rafard's rescue being done for free did not sit well with her. _Maybe he'll make Rafard pay him back,_ she hoped. So she nodded to Asami, who took it.

"Thank you," Asami said, looking at the count.

"Now, I must apologize for the abruptness, but I have a war to win. Good fortune in your endeavours." Delinard gestured towards the exit of the tent. They bowed out quickly, Delinard calling for a 'Captain Firentis' as soon as they were out of the tent, and a man in full armor walked into the tent. They made their way to where Naga and the horse Mako and Bolin had stolen from the Vaegir fort were being kept, passing by several crowds of soldiers who gave them odd looks before turning back to whatever they were doing.

"Seriously, he attacked those people, not even soldiers, and he isn't punished?" Bolin asked as soon as they were out of earshot. "Doesn't he realize how bad it is? I'm pretty sure that's a war crime!"

"They don't share moral standards with us," Asami noted as she tucked the chest underneath her arm, "and the idea of outlawing intentionally targeting civilians was one of the things that sprang out of the end of the Hundred Years War. We both know the Kyoshi Island Convention was only ratified because no one wanted a repeat of that devastation."

"Yeah, but… shouldn't we do something?"

"What is there to do?" Mako bitterly noted. "The world's ugly, Bolin. And from what we've seen, this place is even more so."

"And I'm not strong enough to start flinging these guys around," Korra noted as she clenched her hand into a fist. "With the Avatar State, I could probably destroy an army. But with just waterbending..." she sighed. Why did she have to be weak - this was a world that needed her at full strength and there she was, acting as a freelance mercenary rather than the authority that was supposed to be the Avatar. She was supposed to be the balancer between nations!

"Hey, how's the shoulder doing?" Asami asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"Better," she answered, glad for the topic to take her mind off having to ignore that. Her shoulder had healed fairly quickly thanks to how powerful even weakened waterbending healing was. And the more she healed it, the stronger the healing seemed to become. Korra wrote it down as the chi paths recovering from any lingering damage.

Though as they approached where Naga and the horse the brothers had stolen were being kept, another question came to her mind. "So, you two going to keep that horse?" Korra asked.

"Probably a good idea, we can't really return it," Bolin said with a shrug. "Plus, Naga carrying all four of us is one of those 'everything is bad' moments."

"Though… how much is two thousand worth?" Mako asked thoughtfully. "I mean, it sounds like a lot but…"

"It's a good amount, at least for living expenses," Asami answered as she secured it onto Naga's saddle. "So, we're probably set for a while as long as it doesn't get stolen and we're smart about our purchases, but it'll probably go fast if we don't keep some money coming in or need to get expensive stuff."

"Of course, there's some things we need to talk about first," Korra said as she looked at Mako sternly.

He paused, shifting uncomfortably before nodding. "Somewhere quiet?"

"Definitely," she said.

"We'll wait here," Asami said uneasily as she glanced between the two. Bolin frowned in confusion, but before he could say something Asami elbowed him. He took the hint quick enough.

Korra lead Mako outside of the camp, a good walk away from all the flying banners, bad tempered soldiers, and if the camp was anything like what she had read about ancient warfare, probably disease ridden too. She finally stopped at a small knoll to the south of the camp, maybe five minutes away.

"So…" Mako started uncertainly. "I'm guessing Asami told you?"

"No," Korra answered. "Being in the Tree of Time fixed the bits of memory that I hadn't recovered… why didn't you tell me?"

Mako shifted his stance, glancing side to side as he mulled over an answer. "I… I guess I just didn't want to hurt you all over again, and things were serious enough I didn't want you to have to deal with that and save the world." He paused, glancing down before adding, "And I guess I just wanted to forget it ever happened."

"I'm sorry I blew up at you like that," Korra said as she looked down, her angry rant about backstabbing echoing in her mind. "But… it's over, isn't it? For real, this time. Us… it just doesn't work, does it?"

"No, I guess it doesn't. Are you sure?"

"Yeah," she said as she felt something welling up inside of her. "We can't be together if we're going to do this to each other. It isn't right."

"No, it isn't," Mako admitted softly. "But… I'll always love you."

"And I'll always love you," she said as she turned away, unable to hold back the tears anymore.

XXXXX

"Mako… are you okay?" Bolin asked. He had come back alone and it was at least a half hour later.

"I'm fine," he said evasively.

"Where's Korra?" Asami asked, frowning.

"She needed some time alone… we broke up. For real."

Bolin paused, glancing down as he realized what had happened. "I'm sorry, man. Do you need a hug?"

Mako simply stared at him and Bolin went ahead anyways.

"So," Asami asked after Bolin let go. "What're you going to do now?"

"Depends on what you guys think," he said. "I mean, do you want me to stick around?"

"Of course we do! We do, right?" Bolin asked, looking at Asami, who seemed to pause and her lip curled.

"What does Korra think?" Asami finally asked.

"I'm not going to speak for her," Mako said.

"Hey, if you're heading off, I'm coming with you," Bolin said as he put a hand on Mako's shoulder. "We're brothers, man."

"Thanks," Mako smiled slightly.

Asami turned towards where Naga and Pabu were playing, then back to the others. "Did she say where she was heading?"

"She was walking towards a small river, south of the camp, little over five minutes of walking."

"Alright. You two should probably find some space to work on your bending; get a workout on it. I'll find Korra, make sure she's okay."

Mako nodded slowly. "Yeah, we'll need it at full strength the next time some jerk decides to start torching people. C'mon, Bolin, time to do a little practice, and not just warms ups."

Bolin smiled; that was something they hadn't done in months. Doing their own thing to warm their bending back up after arriving in Calradia, sure. But actually practicing together? "Just like the old days, huh?"

XXXXXX

It wasn't too hard to find Korra. All she had to do was listen for the sound of water crashing unevenly.

Korra was running through a wide variety of stances, techniques, and skills with waterbending, manipulating streams of water taken from the river into rough but relatively intricate patterns, whiplashing them around with increasing force, and repeating it constantly.

"Korra?" Asami asked as Korra froze a stream, broke it into a flurry of icicles, and launched them back into the river.

The Avatar paused, turning to see her and gave a weak smile. "It's weird, my earthbending isn't working at all, but my waterbending is pretty much back to normal. And it can't be the full moon; it's been waning since before we hit the fort. If anything, the moon isn't having any affect on my bending."

Asami tilted her head. "Well, it is your native element. So, you doing alright?"

"Yeah," she hastily answered as she continued to go through the motions, the whiplashes getting stronger every time. "Shoulder still hurts, but I'd say I'm ready to fight. Probably going to need to get that hole in my armor patched up, though."

"Probably. Though, uh… Mako just told us about what you did."

Korra paused, and the water fell back into the river or splashed onto the ground. "Yeah. Did… did he tell you guys what happened at the police station?"

"We all knew," Asami admitted as she glanced down. "Sorry."

Korra's face turned red as she winced, turning away. "Well, that's pretty embarrassing."

_I can imagine,_ Asami thought as she realized there was something that Korra needed to know. "Actually, about that… while you were gone, I uh," she rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. "I kinda kissed him. Sorry."

Korra paused, raising an eyebrow briefly before laughing. "No wonder he was so nervous when we showed up."

"Wait, you're not mad?" Asami asked in surprise as Korra was walking towards her. She remembered how mad she was when Bolin had blurted it out months ago, though she had figured out that the problem was Mako dithering on his feelings when Naga had brought her back from the mountains outside Republic City, not Korra trying to steal him away.

"Hah, no! I mean, I kissed Mako while he was going out with you, so…"

This was just too perfect an opportunity to miss, and Asami adopted the most lethal glare that the daughter of an insane inventor-turned-terrorist and a CEO could.

"You what?" she demanded.

Korra's face paled, which was rather impressive given Korra's darker complexion, and her mouth dropped in utter horror, eyes wide and practically dilating as the Avatar took a step back.

"I'm sorry, I thought you knew!" she said quickly, raising her hands in front of her as if she was expecting a charged taser gauntlet.

Asami held the glare for another moment before smirking and folding her arms. "I'm just kidding, I knew a long time ago."

Korra laughed weakly, rubbing the back of her neck. "Oh, okay. Well, at least whatever troubles we had with him, it hasn't come between us. You're… kinda the first girlfriend I've had. Besides Naga."

Asami nodded. "I'm glad we met, even if it wasn't under the best circumstances."

"Same," Korra glanced back towards the camp. "Hey, how long do you think Mako will be cringing awkwardly when we're around?"

"No idea, he's not the best with figuring out his feelings. I'd give him a few weeks. We keeping him around?"

Korra chuckled. "Yeah, we need a firebender that's working," she paused and glanced around before dropping the grin. "Okay, seriously speaking whatever problems we have, it's not enough to send him off on his own here."

"Bolin would've gone with him, you know."

"Still, we need to stick together. We're alone out here, and we don't have any help. No Tenzin, no Beifong, no White Lotus, not even any precedent of our work. We have to figure out what we're going to do with ourselves."

Asami tilted her head. "And what do you want to do with yourself?"

"I don't know," Korra said with a sigh as she turned back to the river. "I guess I've never had to think about what _I_ wanted to do. I was always the Avatar, charged with the duty of maintaining balance in the world. I guess I was lucky like that, no dreams of my own that get dashed when I turn sixteen. I mean, the idea of beating up the local bandits… works, but I just don't know where to start. Do I act as a one woman army? Do I start to build a fighting force? How do I get started?"

She groaned, putting a hand on her forehead. "Twelve years of preparation and when I'm finally on my own, I've got no idea what to do!"

Asami paused and put a hand on Korra's shoulder. "Maybe we should just find a place to relax for a while. See some of the local sights, maybe," she suggested as Korra glanced back. "Do some odd jobs to keep the money coming in, but otherwise just relax. Like a vacation, the four of us hanging out after dealing with anti-bending extremists and the apocalypse. No airbending training, no police work, no acting, no company to run… just the four of us, friends. It'd be a good chance to clear our heads for a bit."

Korra nodded, and Asami stepped back as she resumed her practice. "Sounds good. And it might give us the time to figure out what we really want to do here."

XXXXXX

**End Chapter**

Author's Notes:

_- I do not intend to dodge some of the differing moral standards going on. After all, nothing stops lords with "Upstanding" or "Good Natured" personalities from raiding villages and burning them to the ground (even if they used to own them!). Though, I'll note that Delinard himself is generally "Martial" in my playthroughs (I suspect that's what's given to most default Marshalls), but that personality tends to be pretty friendly I've found. Though, given there's a whole hundred and twenty lords, you can imagine that I'm going to have to select a small number to actually develop at all with depth._

_- Technically, in game Rafard and Delinard have different heraldries, but I thought "You know, they're the same house, they probably should share heraldry", at least until Rafard distinguishes himself further that he'd warrant such. I also went with the original M&B heraldry rather than the Warband heraldry for him since that was on the wiki when I was writing this. The warband heraldry is two bars - one dark cyan, one white - with lions of opposite color on each one._

_- Originally, I didn't have the arrow penetrate Korra's armor (Armor has to be useful to be worth it, after all). Then I realized… "hey, wait a second, the Vaegirs kinda just got humiliated here"; I mean, no more so than what happens to garrisons in-game when you do this (in fact if anything this is nicer to them - they weren't defeated, just kept at bay long enough for an escape), but the Vaegirs are master archers. And arrows can hit hard. Them not getting a hit just didn't feel right, but an arrow to the shoulder (or anything, really) is no mere flesh wound because you do more damage pulling it out than getting it in. So, I ended up adding a whole scene of them getting the tip out since getting arrowheads out is quite a procedure. I did consider just making a note that they had stopped to remove it, but I thought… "Nah, that implies that arrow wounds are easy to get rid of." They're not, though waterbending healing does speed it up immensely once the arrow is out. Plus, Mako at least knowing the basic idea seemed to fit since he and Bolin lived on the streets for how long?_

_- Also; worth noting, yes, Water Tribe armor had metal underneath the chest piece. Surprised me when I checked the wiki, but according to the A:TLA art book, it does._

_- Additionally, Count Delinard rules Uxkhal by default. Nomar is a village, so it gets randomly assigned. It's close enough to Uxkhal that I figured that it makes sense for Rafard to be in charge; close to daddy so he can get reined in if needed, far enough for him to get experience in ruling fiefs. Dramug Castle's owner is randomized at the start, so I chose the one I checked when I fired up M&B to see. Though, I won't be copying the games 1:1 as far as who gets what, particularly outside of towns._

_- Showing Korra and Mako's breakup again… honestly, I only included it because it was something that would have to be addressed at some point. The point of divergence was before they talked about it but after Korra had her memories restored - even then, though, it'd come up anyways because well, it was something leftover. As I noted, this is not meant to be a shipping fic. So, I basically just lifted the scene from canon (including the "I'll always love you" lines, yes, those were in canon!), gave it a new context, and some minor changes befitting the new circumstances and having a bit more time to reflect. Otherwise, let's move on to Book 3 era team interactions thank you very much!_

_- A quick note for those interested in swords: The term "Bastard Sword" is technically incorrect - what Mount & Blade refer to as Bastard Swords would be more appropriately called Longswords, which is basically an arming sword bulked up for use as a two hander while still being small enough to be one-handed. Those who've played Neverwinter Nights may remember Longswords and Bastard Swords as well - the Longsword in NWN would be the Arming Sword in M&B._


	4. On the Road

"We just passed into the Kingdom of Rhodoks," Asami remarked as they saw a large stone castle ahead with green banners, built into the hills with only a few small passways up. A castle that, according to the map, was Grunwalder Castle.

"Weird name for a place," Bolin remarked. "Rhodoks? Gotta wonder where _that_ came from…"

Korra smirked as she looked at Bolin, at the reins and trying to learn how to ride a horse with Mako keeping him steady. "That's the people, Bolin. They name most of their states after the cultures, rather than the other way around."

"Right," Bolin said as he glanced around. "Wait, shouldn't there be a 'the' in there - the Kingdom of _the_ Rhodoks - I mean, it's a culture, and I'm pretty sure there's some grammar convention…"

"Bolin, you slept through half of those outreach programs," Mako chided.

"You never talked about your educations," Korra noted in surprise as she glanced towards them. "I thought Republic City had public schooling. Some of the best, even."

"Unfortunately, the money mostly goes into the actual schools, not the outreach programs for street rats," Mako explained as he pulled on his scarf. "And well, kinda hard to go there regularly once the Triads had their hooks into you."

"Shady Shin gave us a pretty good one, though," Bolin noted. "I mean, yeah he's shady, but he still made sure we knew the basics. I mean, don't ask me about algebra or anything like that, but I'm not stupid!"

"I'm the only one here who had a normal education, huh?" Asami remarked as she pulled the map out of the saddlebag. "I mean, I'm imagining that the White Lotus didn't let you go to public school."

"Homeschooled," Korra remarked. "One of the things my parents did. More my mother, since around that time my dad started becoming active as a leading member of the Southern Water Tribe, but he did it too."

"What did your dad do anyways?" Bolin asked. "I mean, he seemed like he might as well of been the guy in charge."

"That's the Council of Elders, at least as far as day to day stuff goes," Korra explained. "My dad worked pretty closely with them, though he formally wasn't part of it. Mostly helped them with the grunt work of keeping things running, but some wanted to join soon."

"Sounds like he was trying to be ready to help you," Asami said. "Probably hoped to be able to help when things went wrong in the south."

"Probably," she shrugged. "Though, I guess it doesn't matter anymore, does it? I mean, what with us being stuck here."

The group fell silent and Naga gave a slight whimper, glancing up towards her as they continued along the road to the city of Veluca. They still had half a day to go, but they were expecting to be there before nightfall.

"So Korra," Bolin finally asked to break the silence. "One thing I don't get - if the Water Tribes both had one chief, from the north, how come the south had chiefs, like during the Hundred Years War? I mean, after he finished his term as Republic City Councilor, Sokka went back to the Southern Water Tribe and became chief."

"Same reason why Omashu has a king even though it's not the same as Ba Sing Se - too far out," Korra answered as she took another look at the castle. "Plus, the Southern Water Tribe's chief was always more of the go-to guy for when a debate couldn't be afforded than actually deciding on rules. More of a guy enforcing the laws and defending the tribe. I mean, we even elected the chief - well, the Council of Elders does, but it's the same general idea."

"Elective Monarchy," Asami remarked. "Well, sort of, but it's a close enough comparison."

Korra shrugged. "Call if what you want, but it works pretty well." She paused as something she had been meaning to ask occurred to her. "So Bolin… why a Hundred Year War era club?"

"I've got no idea," Bolin said as he tapped the club hanging on a harness. "It was just part of the gear I got when we showed up."

"Well considering you have a poster for the Nuktuk movers in your rucksack, maybe it was a shot at that?" Mako suggested. "An actual one, rather than that silly slab of wood?"

Bolin simply shrugged.

XXXXX

Sitting in his throne at Dramug Castle, Boyar Druli sighed as he listened to the report from the garrison captain, Janus Orginsky.

"So. Rafard escaped captivity and we lost five men in the escape. Who did it?"

"That's the strange part, sire," the grizzled captain said as he looked around uncertainly. "We aren't sure who they are. The infiltrators were both women; one of them was probably half-Khergit or something. Black hair, wore red leather, and had a weird gauntlet that charged blue fire, almost like lightning."

Druli turned his head in disbelief. "I thought I ordered the rations of kvass to be halved for the garrison?"

"No drunk talk, sire," the captain retorted. "The other woman; couldn't say where she was from, but she wore blue armor with a full moon on the chest and shoulders."

"Heraldry?" he asked as he straightened up. "Another foreign noble out trying to find a fortune here?"

"Couldn't say, sire. But… she was a bender. A waterbender for sure, but Ivan shot a fireball at her… and she dispersed it. And her waterbending… I've never seen water move that fast."

"Are you saying that there's someone who can bend multiple elements running around alongside a woman who channels lightning through a gauntlet? Do you realize how insane that sounds?"

"Well aware, sir, but the burns on Boris do not lie. Then there's the two supposed petty thieves we caught from Tebandra…"

"I remember them. Brothers, one with brown leather gear, the other with grey and had a red scarf, both also probably half Khergit or something. And benders, as I recall."

"Right, well… they're also powerful ones, like the woman. The one wearing grey set the whole stable on fire with one fireball while the brother was able to knock the gates open. We had only just managed to fix it when you returned, sire."

Druli's face fell into his hand. Something was going on in Calradia, more than foreign mercenaries cropping up everywhere looking for work in the constant wars. "Put out no bounties," he ordered. "We'll let them go, it was a well played rescue from the sounds of it. But if they're sighted again, I want to know about it. Anything else?"

"Not that we know of, sir."

"Good. Shore up our defenses and see what you can do about closing their entry into the castle; I don't want this to happen again.

XXXXX

"It's… green," Asami remarked as she looked down at the drink in front of her.

"And the finest wine in Calradia, young lady," the barkeeper said proudly. "Fresh from the Velucan wineries."

Asami looked up at the other woman before shrugging and taking a sip. "Huh, actually pretty good. You want a sip, Korra?"

"I'm good," she said with a shrug as they were sitting in the main tavern in Veluca, rubbing her shoulder briefly. It was late at night and they planned on spending the night there before checking out more of the town.

The tavern wasn't too crowded that night, mostly just a few travellers, a few mercenary crossbowmen, and a man in a dressy blue shirt that Korra thought looked familiar. Evidently he thought so too as he began to walk over towards them.

"Can we help you?" Korra asked as she turned on the stool she was sitting on to face him.

"I believe so. You were in Praven a week ago, helped a local merchant dealing with some outlaws?"

_What does he want?_ Korra thought immediately as she dropped a hand back to make sure the waterskin was open. "I was, why?"

The man offered a hand. "Name's Pierre, pleasure to meet you. I think you're someone who should get to know me."

"Why's that?" Korra asked, raising an eyebrow as Asami glanced between the two of them.

"You're someone who's going to find herself in a scrap and come out victorious. In fact, we've indirectly worked together before. As I recall, you beat up a half dozen common looters and handed them to some gentlemen?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"They sent those outlaws to me. Well, why not cut out the middleman next time and get a good profit than hope for the generosity of manhunters?"

"What're you, some kind of wandering jailer?" Korra asked as she felt her gut tightening. Something was _very_ wrong here.

"More of a wandering releaser. See, I normally head out on commission, checking the salt mines and ports, searching for the poor wretches captured in this fine land's endless wars, brokering ransoms for them. Usually at behest of their families trying to get them home. You might say I'm a ransom broker."

"And why would I need to get to know you?"

"Well, while I'm on my errands of mercy, if I happen to find someone carrying prisoners, nothing wrong with a little speculative investment, is there? And you look like the type of person who'll have prisoners to sell from your victories."

"I'm not a slaver," Korra immediately snarled as she figured out what he was getting at. "That's what you do, don't you? Sell people into slavery if you can't find a ransom for them?"

Pierre shrugged. "One cannot do the heavens' work with an empty purse, madame."

"And if the families can't pay, they get to live knowing that someone they loved got sold as chattel?" Asami asked, turning and clenching her hand into a fist. "You're disgusting."

"You would be surprised what dirt farmers can find or wheedle out of their cousins with the right motivation. I usually just need to spin a few tales of the galleys or mines…"

"Get away from me," Korra snarled, shoving him away. "I'm not doing any business with you or any of your slaving friends!"

"My dear, if you're looking for a slaver, Ramun in Tihr is the man you wish to speak to. Of course, you'll only likely get a better deal from him with farmhands, their wives, or looters. Don't say no to the sheer silver you can earn this way, you'd be surprised how much there is to be made in ransoms!"

"What part of get away didn't you understand?" Korra stood up and drew a small stream of water from her waterskin. "I'm not a slaver, so _back off_."

Pierre shifted uncomfortably, staring at the stream of water suspended in mid air, and stepped back. "Fine, but when you find yourself a prisoner, you'll wish you had someone who could find me in a hurry with a bag of silver."

"I think we'll be fine," Asami retorted as Korra felt a hand on her shoulder pulling her down. Asami's. Korra exhaled and sat down.

"Strong reaction," the bartender noted as she came up from under the table once Korra was back in her seat and had put the water back in the waterskin.

"I can't believe you guys let slavers like that walk freely," Korra muttered. "Hey Asami, there still some wine left?"

Asami simply slid the wooden goblet over.

XXXXXX

"Don't think I've seen you before; what's your name?"

"Bolin," he answered as he looked at the man with a big red mustache standing in front of him. Behind him was a large set of stadium seating and a dirt field. "This some sort of arena?"

"Aye, it is. We're about to lock up, though. But if you come by in the morning there'll be some melee fights."

"Melee fights?" Bolin curled his lip. "Like, hand-to-hand melee?"

"More just going at each other with tournament gear and seeing who comes out on top," the arena manager explained. "You get a wooden practice weapon, start swinging. Or shooting, if you get practice arrows."

"What about earthbending?" Bolin asked as he noticed a small pile of roughly spherical rocks, alongside other wooden weapons.

"Mmm?"

"Ya'know," Bolin said as he glanced at one of the rocks and lifted it into the air with earthbending, "This?"

"Earthshaper eh?" he commented, rubbing his chin as Bolin gently put down the rock. "Yeah, if you're one of those you can use the stone balls in the arena, but you don't get a weapon. No messing up the ground, though, this isn't a battlefield with Swadian Knights charging in!"

"Yeah, sudden ten foot tall wall of rock is bad for a charge."

"Ten feet?" the manager asked, taking a step back in surprise. "Hah, we're lucky to get three. You couldn't pull up ten feet of rock!"

"Really? Wrecking the battlefield into what you want is like, earthbending 101!"

"Where're you from, boy?"

"Bolin!" another voice cut in and he turned to see Mako. "There you are; I thought you were looking for a bathroom!"

"I was!" Bolin answered as he dropped his hand. "Then I met this guy. And hey, I can hold it for a few more minutes!"

"Latrines are the second set of doors to your right," the arena manager said. "Though, come by the morning. Got a few guys who might want to see just how you stack up."

"Sure thing!" Bolin said as the two walked off.

"What was that about earthshapers?" Mako asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I dunno, I guess that's what they call their earthbenders," Bolin explained with a shrug. "Kinda weird that they seem to think putting up big walls of rock is awe inspiring, though."

"Bending isn't too strong around here - you remember that airbender back in that Vaegir fort who tried to stop us?"

"Yeah, I barely felt that. Then he got a rock to the face. Man, Tenzin would hang his head if he saw such a shameful display!"

"Don't you get it, Bolin? Our training, street as it was, is a massive advantage, to say nothing of Korra's," Mako said as they were now outside the latrines. "What we consider to be basic bending skills is advanced stuff for them."

"Okay, so we're a lot better skill wise. Is there a point?"

"Just… just keep that in mind. You might come across the wrong way if you start talking about their elite standard like it's an eight minute mile."

"Okay, keep it humble. No problem. Now, if you'll excuse me…"

Mako simply covered his face and sighed as Bolin dodged into the nearest latrine.

XXXXX

"Well, we need to work on our bending anyways," Korra said as Bolin finished explaining where he had gone last night. "I'm up for it. Mako, Asami?"

"I'm good," Asami said as she put her canteen down. "I'll ask around, see if there's any local sights we should see."

Mako sighed. "Well, I guess someone should come along in case you two get knocked out."

"Oh come on, join in, it'll be nice to have the team back together!" Bolin said.

"I don't think they do pro bending," Mako noted dryly as they finished up.

A half hour later, the three benders were at the arena, which had a small crowd in the stands and some people were fighting below.

"Ah, I was wondering if you'd come. Brought a ladyfriend, eh?"

"We're not dating," Korra said immediately as Mako shifted side to side.

The arena master raised an eyebrow before shrugging. "No matter; some might look down on the idea of women in the arena, but others love it and the crowd loves a good scrap either way."

"Who're those people in the stands?" Bolin asked.

"The melee fights I mentioned last night? Some townsfolk watch 'em. In fact, we set up a little arrangement. The vendors offer prize money for each melee we do, based on the number of opponents you knock out. Knock out three to five opponents before falling, you get five denars. Six to nine, ten, so so on and so forth. Keeps attractions for the crowd who'll buy snacks from the vendors."

"Nice arrangement," Mako noted. "Except for the medical bills."

"Ah, we use practice gear. Worst we've had are a few broken bones when Dranton gets bloodlusted during a brawl. Even then, he usually only shows up if there's a tournament."

"Dranton?" Korra asked curiously.

"Never heard of him? Big bruiser of an arena fighter. Tends to favor oversized weapons. I've seen him knock people cold out in one blow! 'course, not exactly the brightest fellow, but you don't need to be bright in an arena fight, just tough."

"I disagree," Bolin chimed in. "Launch a disc just right and you can hit someone in the back by bouncing it off the rope, leaving them wide open to getting a fireball to the face and knocking 'em back a few zones."

Korra smirked - had Amon not bombed the Pro Bending Arena after that match, she knew that move Bolin had pulled would have been one of the highlights.

"Either way, you want in? The melee fights are open to anyone who wants to jump in."

"Sure," Korra said. "Bolin?"

"Yeah, I'm in."

"Just so you know, it's a free for all, no teams."

"Not a problem," Bolin said as he smirked and passed Pabu to Mako. "Just put us on opposite ends, we'll see who lasts."

Mako sighed as the fire ferret scurried onto his shoulders. "Well, don't get too hurt in there, okay?"

"Relax, we'll be fine," Korra remarked with a grin. "So, what're we allowed to use?"

"As benders, technically nothing, you're bending is your weapon," the arena manager explained as he lead them down to the ready rooms. "But nothing stops you from grabbing someone else's weapon if you beat them down. Also, the only earth you're allowed to manipulate are the stacks of practice rocks - they break easily, but don't go for headshots with them. Otherwise, subdue your opponents however you prefer to."

_Two weak spots to fill in, some fun, and maybe a little extra coin… perfect deal, _Korra thought as they passed by a pair of muscular arena fighters who were laughing together.

"Should we go get our armor?" Bolin asked. "I mean, this is physical combat."

"Armor? Well, if you joined us during a tournament you'd get a tunic and pants with team colors, but here we just go with pants. And shirts for the ladies, though neither of which are really meant to absorb blows. We literally use old worn out stuff the townsfolk no longer use, so go ahead and grab a set, there's some stalls if you want a little privacy while changing."

"Thanks," Korra said as he opened the door and there were two piles, one thick one of old pants, a smaller one of shirts, and a few sets of old boots, all of which showed signs of wear and tear.

"Man, this stuff isn't just old," Bolin noted as he held a shirt in front of him to check the size. "Like, this is old by living on streets standard."

"Least they're getting some extra mileage out of it," Korra said as she checked some pants to make sure they weren't too baggy on her.

XXXXXX

Asami walked through the marketplace of Veluca, looking around at the goods. Most of it was common stuff - food, clothes, farming implements, large jars of the local wine, and multiple blacksmiths selling armor and weapons of various kinds with a predominance of spears, pikes, and other polearms. One merchant was selling horses from a stable, but most of them looked to be older or worn.

"Y'lookin' for crossbow bolts?" a older man with a brace around his left leg asked.

"Not really," Asami asked in surprise. She had left the crossbow in the room.

"Shame, I've got a nice large bag of steel bolts if you were looking to refresh your stock. I saw you coming in last night," the artillterator added as Asami raised an eyebrow at him. "So uh, you hear about Dhirim?"

"I was near there a few days agos," she said. "Vaegirs took the city, Swadian army's regrouping to take it back."

"Aye, and they did take it back. Heard it from a merc who likes my bolts a half hour ago. Guess Fat Harlaus got away from his table."

"I'm sorry, 'Fat Harlaus'?" Asami asked in surprise.

"Haha, you're new to Calradia, aren't you?" The man gestured to a nearby table with stools that looked to be where he did his business negotiations. After taking a seat, he continued. "Now, you've heard about ol' King Harlaus' tendency to hold feasts, right?"

"I arrived in Calradia not too far from Praven, and yes, he was holding one then."

"Well, Harlaus tends to hold a _lot_ of them, and keeps holding them even when Swadia's being bloodied. What happened with Dhirim the last two weeks is basically normal."

"Seriously? I mean, one or two cases of bad timing I can understand, but constantly?"

"Aye. Well, that's what you get with a hereditary monarchy. Us Rhodoks, we don't do that idiocy. We broke free of the Swadians to avoid it, kicked their arses when they got uppity about it and let them break against a Grunwalder Square, and we've got a better one!"

"I thought the Rhodoks had a king too - afterall, it's the _Kingdom_ of Rhodoks."

"Aye, but we elect our king by a council. No other kingdom in Calradia's got the common sense to do it that way, nah, they're all bloodlines and all that wishy-washy stuff. Our elders and prominent leaders meet in council, then vote for a king, one who rules with the support of all the Rhodoks - from the hill tribesmen to the city dwellers!"

_Wow, he's a nationalist,_ Asami thought as pushed herself up to her feet. "Thanks for the info. And no, I'm not interested in any bolts, I've got a full quiver."

"Fair enough. Though, little tip: unstring the crossbow if you're in the rain but not using it. You'll get more lifespan out of the string."

"Thanks," Asami said as she quickly backed away and continued through the streets, eventually finding herself in front of the town's keep.

"Miss," a guard wearing a green tunic over chainmail in front of the keep said, "I'm afraid the gate's closed. Count Matheas' orders."

Asami glanced around the architecture, but nodded. "Alright. Didn't mean to bother you."

The guard simply grunted, putting a hand on the rim of his helmet as Asami left and went towards the arena. Inside, she found her way into the stands and easily picked out Mako in the spread out crowd; the red scarf was a dead giveaway.

In the arena itself, she noticed there was a free for all going on, Korra grabbing a fighter's quarterstaff and flinging him into the wall while Bolin was dueling another earthbender with spherical rocks, the Pro Bender quickly getting the upper hand by evading the rocks launched at him and returning the favor.

"So, what's going on?" Asami asked as she sat down next to Mako, who shifted away uncomfortably.

"Ah, melee fights," he explained. "Long story short, it's practice, and a little prize money depending on how good you do."

Asami nodded as she glanced down to where Korra was, fighting near a stack of practice rocks and trying to lift them with earthbending, but was only able to get them to lift and move somewhat before they lost momentum and fell.

"You know, this wasn't what I had in mind for Korra working out on her earthbending," she said as Korra was smacked in the face with a shield as another gladiator managed to close in on her.

"Me neither," Mako said as he shook his head as Bolin caught a rock to the knee. "They're going to be bruised ten ways from the docks at this rate. And Korra's shoulder is still healing."

"They're doing pretty good though," she said as Korra grappled a gladiator by his shield and flipped him into the ground. "I'd say all that Pro Bending paid off."

"Maybe," Mako admitted. "So uh, find anything interesting looking around?"

"Castle was sealed, but they're using it so they probably don't invite tourists. Otherwise not much."

He nodded as they noticed a man selling snacks making his way through the small crowd watching the melee.

XXXXX

"Still hurts?" Asami asked as Korra groaned, rubbing her shoulder.

"Yeah," Korra admitted as she glanced down at her bruises. "Though I have to say, it went pretty well."

"Except for being knocked out and bruised," Mako added.

"Relax," she answered as she pulled some water from the waterskin and held it over the bruise on her shoulder, the water starting to glow a light blue and the bruise slowly decreased in size. _Man that feels good,_ she thought as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the pain fading away. And found herself wishing she had the chance to thank Katara for giving her such good training.

"Hey, uh, I don't suppose you've got some for me too, right?" Bolin asked, a large bruise on his cheek that he was hiding behind his hand. "I mean, I did take out more guys."

"Only three more, and that was because your earthbending was working," Korra answered with a smirk, "But yeah, in a second. For now, where're we going next?"

"I'm not sure, it's not like there's a travel guide here or anything," Asami remarked as a man wearing a beaten, long brown coat with fur visible around the collar stepped up to their table.

"May I?" he asked, gesturing to a seat. "I might be able to help."

"Uh, sure," Korra said as she glanced at the others as she finished with the water and put it back in her waterskin.

"If you're looking for places to visit, I can offer some recommendations. Travellers like myself tend to see the sights."

"Okay, so what do you suggest?" Mako asked, leaning on the table.

"Well, you may want to check out Grunwalder Castle while you're in the area, though probably from afar given the count there isn't interested much in travellers. It's just to the east of here."

"We saw it on the way in," Asami explained. "Though, any reason why it's special? It didn't seem to be more than a fort."

"Looks are deceiving in this case. It's built where Grunwalder, a folk hero of the Rhodoks, died resisting the Swadians. According to the legend, a full host of knights came to end the Rhodoks' bid for independence. Grunwalder was killed there when his pike square was finally overrun, but it bled the Swadians enough that they couldn't continue the campaign and the Rhodoks earned their independence. The fort itself isn't anything special, but it's location is. Plus, a beautiful view of the countryside."

"Anything else?" Korra asked as she made a mental note to keep that piece of history in mind.

"If you're looking for history, you may want to try Shariz or Wercheg. Both halls there are open to travellers and have some rather rich tapestries telling historical events of the Sarranids and Nords, respectively. Uxkhal has some as well, though with the war on Count Delinard's probably not going to allow visitors into his hall unless they're there to see him personally."

"I'm guessing you two already saw them?" Bolin asked, looking between Korra and Asami.

"Briefly," Korra answered with a faint shrug. "We weren't there to sightsee when we were, so we didn't pick up any stories it told."

"There's also some other sights - Fearichen's got an excellent coastal tower and view of the Nordic bay, and the iron mines surrounding Curaw gives the snowy hills a great glow if you're around at sunset." The traveler smiled fondly, giving Korra a sneaking suspicion that he had grown up there. "And if you happen to travel in Khergit lands, you might be lucky enough to see herds of wild horses. Damn rare sight, given how many lords domesticate them for their armies. Even more unusual given that the Khergits use more horses than anyone."

"Wow, lots of stuff. Thanks for the suggestions," Bolin said.

"No problem. Though, rule of thumb, always feel free to talk to travelers. They're usually able to tell you about things… for a small gift."

Asami glanced between them and pulled out a few silver coins from her pocket, counted them out, and slid them over to him. "Thanks for the suggestions."

"You're welcome," the traveler said as he pocketed the five denars. "Safe travels."

"So, where do we want to go?" Korra asked. "I'll admit, I'm kind of interested in Curaw."

"You just want to see how it stacks up to the South Pole, don't you?" Asami said with a smirk.

"Maybe."

"I dunno," Bolin commented. "That tower sounded interesting. I always enjoyed looking into the bay."

"Mako?" Korra asked.

He shrugged. "Never been much of a sightseer."

Korra paused as Bolin put his hands down on the table. "Hang on," she said as she stood, "let me help with that."

"Oh, thanks."

As Korra finished with her healing, she took a step back. "Alright, should be good in the morning."

"Hey, uh, Korra, people are staring," Mako said, gesturing towards some of the patrons.

She glanced towards the patrons staring towards her. "What? You've never seen a waterbender healing people before?"

Most of the patrons went back to their drinks as Korra sat down again.

"So, Korra," Bolin asked. "You think you count as a noble here?"

"Huh?" she asked, frowning as the question blindsided her. "What do you mean?"

"Your uncle. I mean, if it's hereditary in the Northern Water Tribe, and you were their chief's cousin, doesn't that make you a princess of some sorts?"

She raised an eyebrow towards him before shaking her head. "I may have been born two years before Eska and Desna and may have had some weak claim, but it was pretty much gone the moment they were born. And that's discounting my dad's exile or being the Avatar. Especially being the Avatar - that alone kicks me out of succession."

"Ah, okay," Bolin said as he glanced down at his food.

"Plus, they seem to be a pretty traditional bunch," Asami noted. "The Calradian nobles, that is. I don't think they'd recognize it even if technically you do count."

"Well, I wouldn't bank on it anyways, we're foreigners here," Mako added as he glanced towards one of the patrons suspiciously before turning back to his dinner.

XXXXX

"_You want us as guards, give us the pay we deserve!"_

Korra blinked, glancing around from where she had been sleeping - the doorway into the tavern, as Naga was too big for the attic that most of the tavern's guests slept at and Korra didn't want to leave her outside.

"_You agreed to this job and you've gotten your pay for the trip here. What's your problem?"_ another man answered.

"_The problem is we bled out there! We're crossbowmen, pay us the worth of good sharpshooters!"_

Quietly pushing herself off of Naga and creeping up the stairs, Korra saw a man in a fancy suit with a spotted pattern and wearing a pair of spectacles arguing with three crossbowmen who all looked rather ragged.

"I'll tell the other merchants that you lot are prone to leaving. Do you want to not be able to find a job?"

"We'll take our chances," the merc said as he stood up. "C'mon boys, lets get out of here."

Korra hurried back down the stairs, watching the mercenaries leave, followed shortly afterwards by the merchant they had been talking to. All of them gave her and Naga a strange look before shrugging and moving on. As they left, Korra went back up the stairs.

"So, what was that about? The argument," she asked as she found the innkeeper cleaning a tankard with a cloth.

"Just the town Guild Master having an argument with some mercenaries," the innkeeper explained. "Might want to speak to him; he's probably looking for more caravan guards."

Korra glanced up to the attic. "Any idea where he's sending it?"

"Afraid not."

"Thanks." Korra walked over to the table the others to wake up, which didn't take too long, the three climbing down the ladder one by one. Bolin was first.

"Morning Korra," he said as he gave Pabu a small piece of bread.

"Morning," she answered as she checked her waterskin and made a mental note to refill it at the next river or well they stopped at.

Once everyone was downstairs and they had gotten their breakfast from the rucksack that had their food, Korra glanced between them. "So, the Guild Master in town's looking for some caravan guards to replace some guys who just bailed. You guys want to see where it's heading? Maybe it'll be somewhere we're going."

"Worth a shot," Mako said. "I mean, traveling in a group has to be safer."

"And the extra money wouldn't hurt," Asami added. "Though, let's go as a group. And with our gear on so he can see what he'd be hiring."

An hour later, they were near the city gates on a stone platform that raised above the ground to a stall where Veluca's Guild Master seemed to have an outside office. As they approached, he looked up at them.

"Ah, if it isn't the foreign fighters," he said as he put down a pen on a piece of parchment he was writing on. "You made quite the impression in the ring yesterday."

"Uh, thanks," Bolin said as he glanced down at the Pro Bending helmet he had in his hands. "Didn't realize you were there."

"Oh, it's basically a business, and as Guild Master I must inspect all of them at least once a week to ensure the guilds follow through with their promises, to each other, to the town, and to our lieges. So, what can I do for you?"

"You're looking for caravan guards?" Korra asked. "If we're heading the same way, we might be interested."

He paused, pulling off his spectacles and rubbing his forehead briefly before putting them back on. "Yes, I am looking for some more guards to escort a caravan to Dhirim and, eventually, Wercheg. The pay is twenty five denars per week, plus an additional ten when the destination is reached, and a ration of food each day. Per person," he added as they looked at each other. "And if you don't serve a full week due to quick travel, the money is split by the number of days since the last pay, rounded up to a full denar if needed."

"What about hazard pay?" Mako asked as he reached into his pocket. "As in, if there's an attack, do we get extra?"

"No, you're being hired to fight if the caravan is attacked. Now, the carters may have their own arrangement, but they aren't being paid to fight."

"Seems fair," Asami remarked. "I dunno about you guys, but I think it's a good deal."

"Plus, it's a good place to start making our way southeast," Mako noted as he was checking the map. "We'd easily be able to hit most of the points we want to look at once we're there."

"Nice," Bolin said. "Korra?"

She nodded. "We'll do it. When does the caravan leave?"

"Noon, so I'd advise hurrying. And yes, this counts as a full day so long as you show up on time. The caravan master is a Geroian, named Marnid. He'll be the one who pays you in the end. You'll meet him right outside the gate." The Guild Master gestured towards it.

XXXXXX

"So," Asami asked, "how's trade go in Calradia?"

The merchant in charge of the caravan glanced at her. "Fairly well, as long as you don't get caught in the wars or by bandits," he admitted. "What's your name, miss?"

"Asami," she answered as she offered a hand, leaning over slightly from Naga's back so he could reach..

"Good to meet you," Marnid answered as he shook from his own horse. "So, new to Calradia?"

"We are," Korra said as she glanced back briefly. "But don't worry, we can handle ourselves."

The Geroian merchant raised his hand defensively. "Never said you couldn't. Anyways, trade normally goes well. Especially with the Nords - you'd be surprised how good they are with trade despite their warlike reputation, especially when dealing in flax. Unfortunately, it gets caught up in wars all too often."

"How so?" Asami asked, committing everything the black haired man said to memory. If she was going to even consider rebuilding Future Industries, she needed to start building an idea of how Calradian economics worked.

"Well, there was a friend of mine from Curaw who was taking a shipment of iron to Praven to sell, hoping to pick up some ale shipments to take to Khudan as they usually lack excess grain to brew their own. As he made his way back, Swadia declared war and as news of it reached him when he was passing by Tilbaut Castle…" Marnid closed his eyes.

"I'm guessing that meant his caravan was raided?" Asami asked.

"Yes. Looted to the last denar and he was imprisoned. Luckily, the Vaegirs took the castle in the war and released him, but it nearly ruined him."

"Why raid merchantmen, I mean, they trade with all cities, right? So, that means they're denying themselves their income from tariffs and any goods taxes…"

"In the long term? Somewhat, yes, but in the short term they gain a massive influx of resources, which they can use to shore up any long term losses the destroyed caravan results in. And while it causes annoyances to the people, it isn't enough to put pressure on them unless you cut off a vital trade route or all of them. Especially since they have to pay taxes either way."

"To be fair, trade is always cut off by war," Korra remarked darkly as Naga sniffed the ground and turned her head to the south. "Doesn't make it right to pick on civilians, though."

The polar bear dog growled. "Uh, Korra, is something wrong?" Asami asked as she glanced to the south and checked her gauntlet.

"Naga smells something, that's for sure…"

"_AMBUSH!"_ one of the other guards shouted. "Bandits from the south!"

"You've got to be _joking_," Marnid groaned as they looked to the south and saw a half dozen horsemen riding down the mountainside towards them. Then at least two dozen men leapt up from where they had been crouching in the foothills leading up to the mountain, maybe a hundred feet away from the caravan, and began to throw rocks and javelins their way.

"Look out!" Mako shouted as he brought his horse to a stop and started to launch fireballs, trying to intercept some of the thrown projectiles as Bolin jumped off and put his helmet on.

Asami grabbed her crossbow and slid off Naga's back, loading it and taking up a position behind a nearby rock as the guards scrambled, the two other crossbowmen in their ranks taking up positions behind other rocks while the rest grabbed their weapons and turned to face the incoming horde.

"Asami, you need the bolas?" Korra asked as she was reaching for the waterskin on Naga's back.

"I'm good!" Asami answered as she aimed at one of the bandits. She squeezed the trigger and the bolt shot forward and narrowly went over an oddly familiar looking bandit's head.

She took a second look and realized why the bandit and those near him seemed familiar. These bandits, distinct from the rest in their professional kitting, wore green outfits with a brown collar, a full mask of black cloth with brass tubing leading to their mouths and green tinted eyeglasses. They moved quickly up behind the other bandits, some of them armed with kali sticks, others with bolas, and one with a gauntlet that Asami knew all too well.

"Chi blockers!" Asami shouted as she reloaded. "Korra, Bolin, Mako, watch yourself! There's chi blockers in the mix!"

"Here?!" Korra asked incredulously as she was strapping her water skin to her belt. "Oh that's just _brilliant_!"

As if to answer, several bolas shot towards them and trapped Naga's legs, causing the polar bear dog to slide to the ground and drop Korra on her side as Asami fired the crossbow at one of the other bandits charging in. She hit her mark, but he brought a fur covered shield in front of his chest before the bolt hit it.

The bandits closed in, clashing with the guards in melee as the chi blockers leapt over them and hit the guards in the backside, causing some of them to collapse as they suffered pressure point strikes. One was about to get a guard holding back two bandits when a rock smashed into his backside.

"That's right!" Bolin shouted as he ran into the fray, "Bolin's in town!"

"Crap, it's the Avatar!" the chi blocker with the taser gauntlet warned.

"I've got her!" one with kali sticks answered as she ran towards Korra as she was picking herself up, with no waterskin as it had slid away in the landing. Korra dropped into a defensive stance but before she could react was hit in the head and staggered back. Seizing the opening and dropping the kali sticks, the chi blocker struck at Korra's joints.

Korra tried to draw water from the waterskin, but nothing came out and she received a kick in the chest into Naga. The chi blocker pulled a knife from her belt and advanced towards the Avatar, ready to stab.

"Korra!" Asami shouted as she dropped the crossbow and ran over, taser gauntlet charging as she sprinted to try and get there.

She never got there in time. Korra looked up at the chi blocker advancing on her and reached back, grabbing the hatchet off of Naga's saddle and swinging it in front of her as the chi blocker was bringing the knife down towards her throat.

The chi blocker staggered back, her stomach bleeding and blood splattered onto Korra's face and armor. Covering her wound with both arms, the chi blocker collapsed to the ground and could only twitched with a painful groan. Korra let the hatchet hang loosely in her hand as she looked at her handiwork before looking towards the ongoing fight, towards Asami, gave a brief shrug, and hurried into the brawl.

Asami stared for another moment before turning as she heard the thundering of hooves coming closer. The mounted bandits were still charging in, but before she could think about that she had to deal with an electrified gauntlet coming her way.

Ducking under the open glove, she dropped onto her left hand and spun, knocking the chi blocker onto his back. She charged her own gauntlet and grabbed him by the chest, electrocuting him into unconsciousness.

"Asami!"

She turned as a bandit was charging her with a large sledgehammer held over his head before a fireball caught him in the back. Mako gave a weak grin before turning towards the charging horsemen and launching more fireballs towards them, but the cavalry kept coming.

"Scatter!" one of the mercenary guards said as the horses were closing in.

"Bolin!" Korra called as she bashed a bandit in the head with the axe's handle, "We can slow them down!"

"Right, got it!" Bolin said as he stopped launching rocks from where he and Mako were standing and ran towards her, the two standing in front of the charging horsemen and turning their feet to reinforce their stances.

As the horsemen closed in, they struck. Bolin brought up a rock barrier about four feet in height and three feet wide, causing the horse charging him to come to a halt and crash its legs into the barrier, launching the rider and his rusty axe over. The two riders behind the first barely managed to stop their horses in time and found themselves quick targets for Mako's fireballs.

Korra, however, had much less luck. The barrier she made was barely a foot high. The leading horse leapt over it. And before Korra could dodge the rider hit her with a club, and Korra spun briefly before falling onto her face.

"Korra!" Asami shouted as she moved forward, but one of the riders was charging towards her with a spear held to the side like an axe.

She ran towards him to build up speed and leapt up as the bandit swung, jumping over the shaft of the spear and catching his bicep with her gauntlet, shocking him. He fell off the saddle and Asami grabbed the spear as she landed and turned as she saw one of the crossbowmen catching a spiked club to the face and the first rider was turning around to attack Korra again.

"Hey, over here!" Asami shouted at the bandit going for Korra. The bandit turned his head, and Asami chucked the spear towards him. She missed, but she hit the horse's rear and the horse neighed loudly before running out of control away from the fight.

Korra groaned, pushing herself up as Asami hurried over as the last riding bandit caught a fireball to the face and fell off his retreating horse. The rest of the bandits were dead, dying, or knocked out.

"You okay?" Asami asked as she took a knee next to Korra and put a hand on her forehead. Korra's nose was bleeding profusely and looked to be broken.

"Been worse," she said. "We won, right?"

"They're retreating!" Bolin shouted. "Haha! Yeah, that's the way! Get outta here you thieving goons!" The earthbender launched several more rocks after the few bandits still fleeing, hitting one of them in the head. The bandits near him stopped to grab their comrade and kept going, but the mercenaries didn't give chase. One of the chi blockers was also in the group that escaped, managing to leap up and grab a horse that had lost its rider.

"How bad is it?" Mako asked as he hurried over.

"I'll be fine," Korra muttered as she put her hand on her face as Pabu finished chewing through the bolas restraining Naga. "Ow, okay… I'll be fine as soon as I've fixed this."

"You better check on the others as soon as you're done," Mako said as he stood. Asami looked around and saw what he meant: There were several more wounded who were being tended to by some of the merchants they were escorting, or at least people who worked for them. Most of them were bleeding horribly.

As they tended to the injured, Asami walked over to the chi blocker with a taser gauntlet. He was dead - ran over by a horse during the fight and the gauntlet had been stepped on as well.

"So, chi blockers are here too," Mako said as he walked over.

"Yeah. Though, why would they run with common bandits?" Asami asked as she was examining the gauntlet.

"Probably were some of Amon's more questionable recruits - he tended not to be picky about who joined as long as they followed orders. I've interrupted more than one fight between Equalist holdouts and some renegades who dropped the revolution pretense," Mako explained as he looked at the taser gauntlet. "Any way to salvage it?"

"No," Asami said as she pulled it off the man's wrecked hand, "I'm not even sure if I can get any useful parts from it. Still, you have to wonder… how many others ended up here?"

"Who knows?" Mako said as he shrugged. "But so far it's the four of us and these guys who were probably in Republic City."

"Yeah, but I was miles away from the portal," she noted. "If anything, Tenzin or Bumi should be here, not me."

"For what it's worth, I'm glad you're here," Mako said as he put a hand on her shoulder. She glanced up at him and he paused, face dropping slightly as he pulled his hand up and coughed. "Uh, in the 'glad you're okay' kind of…"

"I know what you meant," Asami smirked. "And thanks."

"Right, I uh… should probably go make sure the carts are safe or something…" with that, he walked away.

As soon as the wounded were tended to and the mercs had picked through the bandits for loot (mostly grabbing any silver the bandits had in their pockets, which Marnid insisted on being split evenly between all the guards), they dragged the dead bandits off the road and made a makeshift mass grave. Asami noted that it was crude and field, but they didn't have the benefit of just calling the morgue to send a team to clean up like the RCPD could when cleaning up the aftermath of gang wars. Their own casualties were buried in individual graves just inside the woods, though the mercenaries mostly did it themselves.

The few surviving bandits were tied up with spare rope, and Marnid asked Korra to head to Grunwalder Castle to let the lord there know of the prisoners to be picked up. When they passed by the castle later, there was a squad of Rhodok pikemen and crossbowmen waiting to take custody of them, lead by a man with a massive sword easily as wide as a man's arm.

XXXX

"And here we are," Marnid said as after four days of travel they reached their destination. "Wercheg."

"Time to pay up, merchant," one of the guards grumbled.

"Hey, we just got here," Korra retorted as she looked at the mercenaries. "And we've got a few hours before nightfall."

"You'll be paid," Marnid insisted. "Once the carts reach the marketplace and they set up, I'll hand out your payments personally."

It took another two hours for them to set up and the sun was starting to set, but they eventually got their pay - twenty five denars each - and dispersed. Most of the mercenaries were heading towards the tavern.

"So, we want to join them, or we going to check out the main hall like we wanted to?" Korra asked as she looked at the large wooden castle dominating the center of the city.

"I dunno about you, but I wouldn't mind sitting around for a while," Asami remarked. "And not on Naga's back."

"I'm good either way," Mako said.

"Yeah, I'm a little tired from all that riding, let's wait for tomorrow," Bolin said as he was stretching his back.

XXXXXXX

Far from the Kingdom of Nords, beyond its southern border, King Harlaus of Swadia looked over the map as his Marshall gave a report.

The king was a large man, though most of his body was obscured by his loose clothing. Rubbing his blond beard, he frowned as he noticed the large numbers of Vaegir lords whom were marked on the map with grey stones. Many of them position to easily swarm to the southeast… into Khergit lands.

"All in all, I think we can safely put peace terms to Yaroglek and once they're done, release our levies. Count Stamar is returning to Kelderan Castle to replenish his forces now, if we need to counterattack into Vaegir territory, but from all reports Yaroglek is eager to end the fight with us and look to an easier target to recover his pride."

"Thank you, Marshall Delinard," he said with a nod as a messenger came in and bowed. "What is it?"

"A message from one of your spies, my king," the messenger said as he held the rolled up parchment towards him.

Harlaus simply grumbled as he took the letter and unfurled it, gesturing for the messenger to leave as he read the report. "Interesting. Delinard, you said you had hired two foreign mercs to save your son?"

"Yes, m'lord," Delinard answered. Harlaus handed him the letter and Delinard's eyebrows briefly rose. "Interesting. What do you plan on doing with it?"

"For now, nothing. But she and her friends might prove to be a great boon to Swadia someday. She helped expose Captain Alexander back in Praven, but what's most interesting is that they seem to be far more proficient with bending than anyone in Calradia."

"She could be a valuable asset. Perhaps we should ask the other lords to, if they meet her, offer her mercenary work for the Kingdom of Swadia? A way to let her test the waters and for us to learn more, to see if she could be brought into Swadia's fold."

Harlaus nodded as he pushed himself up from his throne. "Indeed, include that with the next orders you dispatch."

XXXXXX

"_I've got my axe and I've got my mace!"_

"_And I love my wife with the ugly face!"_

"_I'm a Nordman through and through!"_

"They're happy," Mako remarked with a smirk as the four were sitting in a corner next to the barkeeper's table in Wercheg's tavern. A group of burly men were singing a drinking song, laughing, and downing flagons of mead as dinner was ending.

"There a wedding or something?" Korra asked as she was taking a drink from her waterskin.

"Wedding?" the barkeeper asked as he leaned over from behind the counter. "Naw. You hear what happened in Chide?"

"No," Bolin said. "What happened?"

"Supposedly Count Stamar's been levying the people there past the expectations. Most levying is intended to be pull them in for a while, win the war, then they go home to tend to their crops. Yeah, he's keeping them in the field."

"I thought levies were retired…" Bolin said.

"Back home, yes," Asami cut in. "But that's because professional armies became the norm. I guess here they haven't figured it out yet."

"Isn't Chide in Swadian territory?" Korra asked. "I mean, we passed by when we were heading to that rescue mission."

"Stolen territory, at least according to King Ragnar," the barkeeper explained as he was cleaning an empty flagon. "Well, the Jarls are taking it as a cause for war as there are Nords there, and they're hoping it starts before the Swadians and Vaegirs get tired of fighting each other. Those men singing are some of Jarl Irya's own Huscarls, and they've been bored out of their minds this winter. And even if a war doesn't start, it's now Sea Raider season, so they'll get plenty of kills either way."

"Sea Raiders?" Mako asked, his police training kicking in as far as getting information on perpetrators was concerned. "So, pirates?"

"They'll take a ship if they catch one, aye, but they usually raid the coast. Caravans, villages… all good targets to loot and pillage before heading back north. Though the big raids probably won't be for another month or two; they prefer the summers over the spring."

"Seems like a bad time to start thinking about starting up a war," Asami remarked. "I mean, raiders coming in? That's a time to button up and not have a war so you can beat them back."

"Ragnar might not pick the fight, but he's a man of war," the barkeeper said with a shrug. "Anyways, lemme know if you lot want something stronger than that water you're all drinking. I've got good mead and even got some Velucan wine."

"We're good, thanks," Bolin said. The barkeeper moved away to talk to a dour looking Nord woman with a sword at her hip as Korra looked down at her waterskin sadly.

"You okay?" Asami asked and Mako looked at her. Korra had been down the last few days, ever since the fight with the bandits had ended.

"It's just my problems with earthbending," she explained. "I thought I just had to stand firm. You know, the core of earthbending. Root my stance, face the threat, and hold my ground. But it seems like I just can't get it to work."

Mako frowned, rubbing his chin as he took in what he knew of bending. For most, it was an innate ability. But for the Avatar…

"_Though, Wan didn't just get two sets, Raava had to hold the ones he wasn't using at the time, so if he needed to switch she'd pass through him and switch them out."_

He remembered that part of Korra's explanation about what was going on, including an overview of the first Avatar and the circumstances leading up to Harmonic Convergence ten thousand years ago. Information she had given given while they were traveling to the South Pole so they knew what they were up against and the context.

"Maybe it's because you lack the connection?" Mako suggested. "I mean, after we left Dhirim you said that the connection between you and Raava wasn't active, right? Or just not strong enough to bridge the gap?"

"Yeah. You don't think?..."

"Just a theory, but from what we've seen that might be the problem. You're missing the key component that lets you use other bending arts besides your native one."

"She can still do some basic stuff, though," Bolin remarked. "I mean, it can't be that. If she could only waterbend, sure, but…"

"That might just be a side effect," Korra noted as she looked at her hand. "I mean, I had Raava in me since I was in the womb, so maybe I picked up some residual energy for the other arts. I mean, spirits do freaky things to humans when they jump into our bodies. Maybe Avatars just get the benign stuff."

"It might not be a case of being able to bend an element, but lacking the fuel," Asami suggested as she put her canteen back down. "Think of it like an engine and you've got four machines hooked up to it. Water is the one it was originally built for, so it runs that pretty well, but you don't have the fuel for the others, at least until you fix the kinks in the connections. I mean, your earthbending _has_ improved."

Korra nodded. "Yeah. So, keep working at it. Though, how come your bending wasn't that busted? I mean, even my waterbending was wrecked."

"Ours was damaged too," Mako noted as he looked down at his empty drink and reached for the pitcher on the table. "We spent most of a day just doing drills before we decided to start looking for you. Came back really fast."

"Though from the sounds of it yours was just gone," Bolin said as he was finishing his drink. "Just tired?"

"Probably, I just assumed it was out of action other than really minor boosts when I went to rescue Asami."

"Speaking of that," Asami remarked, "how did you two end up here? I was captured and Korra washed ashore, what about you two?"

"Found ourselves outside a Vaegir city - Reyvadin, I think it was called," Mako explained. "We had a little roundup with some local street toughs before we started heading out to try and see who else was around."

"Had a hunch you two would be here," Bolin said. "Then we got caught up in that village. I was playing with a cute cat, some crazy old lady got mad and tried to get us thrown in jail, Swadians showed up, then a Vaegir force hit back… and somehow they decided to lock us up too." He shrugged as Pabu hopped onto the table and started nibbling at some of Bolin's leftover food he was slowly making his way through. "Hey, Pabu, I already fed you!"

Mako smirked as Bolin started to argue with the fire ferret, and the drunk Nord soldiers continued to sing.

"_I've got my club and I've got my bludgeon!"_

"_And I've got sixteen Swadians locked in my dungeon!"_

"_I'm a Nordman through and through!"_

XXXXXXXX

**End Chapter**

_- Bit of a lighter chapter as the team starts to explore Calradia. I wanted to start with a 'road trip' before the Krew gets stuck in, plus it's a good time to start looking around a bit and elaborate more on Calradia._

_- Ransom Brokers are, in essence, slavery. I mean, the achievement you get for doing it is outright called "Sold into Slavery". I just don't see Korra doing that without some serious moral degradation first; I mean, sure, sometimes it might have a happy ending if their families can pay, but most of the time? Salt Mines ho!_

_- The "Grunwalder Square" mentioned is a spin on the idea of an Infantry Square from the Napoleonic Wars mixed with traditional pike-and-shot. Crossbowmen in the middle, pikemen surround them and put their pikes out, keeps the cav out in the open. The downside? Nice juicy target for siege weapons or Horse Archers and good luck moving in that formation. Not possible with the AI in standard Mount & Blade, but I'm not limited to a limited command and control system, am I? The formation is meant to be one tactics that the Rhodok folk hero Grunwalder taught them, as explained by Bunduk when you pass by Grunwalder Castle._

_- Mako's theory on why Korra's bending is off is just that, a theory. I will be going into the details eventually and have the explanation written. But as to Mako's guess, I tried to base it on what he would know, assuming that Korra had filled them in on the events of "Beginnings" as a briefing for going after Unalaq and Vaatu._

_- The Krew aren't the only ones who got warped in to Calradia, though I will say this: Overall, Avatar characters are going to be the minority. And not all of them are going to become central to the plot. Many will have their own ambitions, and I can't have Calradia become the backdrop. So, expect them to be in small groups at most._

_- Not much else to say about this chapter; cameo from a companion before his fateful caravan trip, a run-in with bandits, and word of Korra's exploits is starting to get known._


	5. Sea Raiders

"Man, that's one violent history."

Korra nodded at Bolin's comment. "Yeah, but then again what led to the United Republics?"

"Good point," Bolin noted. "But seriously…"

The tapestry they were looking at in Wercheg Castle was depicting a battle, what looked to be a primitive form of a sea landing. Korra could not properly identify the sides, but she had to guess that one side was the Nords and the other side were Vaegirs, at least based on what they had encountered before. The tapestries went on around, mostly depicting major battles that had shaped the course of Nord history.

The next tapestry, however, showed something different. It showed the Nords at work, building a village, working the land as farmers, and craftsmen making both tools and works of art. And looking at it was another person, a woman with dull red hair in a ponytail wearing a subdued orange travel robe and a red cape hung around her shoulders.

"Many forget that the Nords are not just warriors," the woman said. "But skilled artisans and traders."

"That happens a lot," Korra answered as she gave Bolin a brief elbowing.

"What? Oh, right," he said as he shrugged. "Hey, sometimes you act what people expect."

"Either way looking at people through a stereotype belies a lot about of them," Asami noted. "I mean, in Veluca I heard more than one person deriding the Swadians as pumped up and arrogant."

"Not without reason," the woman said as she sighed. "But where are my manners. My name is Lady Isolla, formerly of Suno."

"Asami," the ex-CEO said.

"Name's Bolin."

"Mako, good to meet you."

Korra held out a hand. "My name's Korra, pleasure to meet you."

Isolla raised an eyebrow briefly, but shook. "Likewise. Say, were you the ones who raided Dramug Castle last week?"

"That was us, yes," Korra explained. "Why?"

"Impressive. Word of it has spread - the Vaegirs spoke of your abilities and rumors fly. A woman who could disperse flame and wield water like an extension of her body, and two brothers who wielded fire and earth as a sword and hammer. Wielding the elements with skill far beyond even our best."

"Flowery," Asami remarked with a smirk.

"They forgot to mention you," Korra noted. "The woman who can beat up guards with her own two hands, no bending required."

"Thanks."

"I'm certain you have all earned your skill and power." Isolla looked to Korra directly. "I apologize for the directness, but I must ask: where are you from, Korra? I've never met someone like you before. Your friends could pass off as half or quarter Khergit, but you..."

"We're all from far away," Mako explained as he was leaning against a wooden post. "In fact we didn't exactly expect to end up in Calradia, but it's a very long story."

"We never expect where we end up," Isolla said, running her hand through her hair briefly and seeming to accept Mako's answer. "So, what brings you four to Wercheg, seeking a chance to ply your skills?"

"Exploring Calradia," Asami answered. "We don't know a lot about it, so we've been exploring and trying to learn about its people, figure out what we want to do here, that sort of thing."

"What about you?" Korra asked. There had to be a reason why she asked if they were looking for work.

"I was hoping to find support," Isolla explained. "You see, I am the rightful ruler of Swadia."

"Wait, isn't that Harlaus?" Bolin asked. "So if you're supposed to be the ruler, why's he in charge?"

"He usurped the throne," the would-be Swadian queen explained, "He's a distantly related uncle of mine, a cousin of my father, the late King Esterich. My father had no other children, and had named me as his heir numerous times in front of the Counts of Swadia and the public. No law bars a woman from reigning in her own name - in fact, Swadia has had numerous warrior queens in its past, all of whom are well remembered."

"Let me guess," Korra said as she remembered one of Iroh's warnings, "Harlaus decided that a woman on the throne wasn't okay?"

"He denounced my father's decision to name me his heir as a sign of madness, and therefore I had no legal right to the throne as a mad king cannot name an heir once madness has taken him. So, as the oldest male relative of my father, he was the next in line for the throne. I am certain that the magistrates who ruled in his favor were bought."

"And no one thought that was suspicious?" Asami asked incredulously. "I mean, even if the magistrates were bought, wouldn't command of Swadia's armies defaulted to you?"

"They answer the call of the king, and a number of counts such as that fiend Delinard had Harlaus' side of the matter." Isolla's hands gripped into fists. "In fairness, I did my cause no good by denouncing the lot of them as traitors when Harlaus made his claim, but I would not bend my knee to one who usurped the rightful ruler of Calradia's greatest kingdom. One day, I _will_ prove him wrong and take back my father's throne."

The group was quiet for a moment and Korra frowned, thinking back to Unalaq's efforts on the Southern Water Tribe. "How did you escape?" she asked.

"Huh?" Bolin asked.

"I doubt that if you declared him and his supporters traitors that they would just let you walk away," Korra explained. "I mean, my uncle usurped my father's place in succession, but he had planned things so my father got himself exiled rather than take action directly. And when my dad became a threat to his plans again, he tried to have him arrested for a crime he didn't do."

"I see I am not the only royal who has had such an uncle," Isolla said. "Were you able to help your father reclaim his throne, or are you like me, exiled from home?"

"Well, I kinda killed my uncle…" Korra said uneasily before Asami gave her a tap on the shoulder. "Ah, sorry. I should clarify, I was never in the line of succession. My dad was exiled - wrongfully, yeah, but he found a new life and was happy with it. That, and my duties kick me out of succession anyways."

"But if the truth was revealed, wouldn't your father take his rightful place?"

"The events that forced us to Calradia happened before that all got sorted," Asami cut in. "So we don't know and we aren't even sure how to head back."

Isolla nodded. "Still, at least you were able to avenge the wrong. One day, I hope to be able to do the same."

"So how did you get away from your uncle?" Bolin asked. "I mean, if Korra's uncle tried to get her dad arrested again when he was just there, wouldn't Harlaus try to kill you?"

"I'm almost certain that he tried to have me murdered. One night, a soldier from a count's army - he refused to say which one - lead me out of Swadia, warning me that some of Harlaus' followers were planning to murder me to ensure he had no challengers. Ever since then, I have journeyed across Calradia and even beyond, seeking allies who would see law rule out." Isolla sighed, looking towards the door. "Jarl Irya has been a good host, but he seems to care little for Swadian affairs save how it will allow the Nords to conquer more territory."

"I noticed a violent history," Asami said as she gestured to the tapestries.

"Yes. The Nords came to Calradia originally at the ancient empire's behest. They are fine seamen, and were an ideal people to man it's galleys and unrelenting heavy infantry," Isolla explained. "The Nords, however, misinterpreted this claim as a gift of all Calradia when the empire collapsed."

_I guess colonizing other lands isn't purely a Fire Nation thing,_ Korra thought in amusement. "And thus some of the wars?"

"Some," she admitted. "In fairness to the Nords, most of the settlements the Nords now live in were built by them, but some as they drove south and east were claimed from Swadia or the Vaegirs. They've held these lands over some degree in the years that followed, and it's become accepted that the Nords are here to stay."

"Seems like Calradia fell onto hard times," Mako said. "I mean, what with the wars and all."

"And the kings are all fighting for their share of the clay," Bolin said as he glanced towards the tapestry showing the Nords assaulting the Vaegirs. "Will it ever end?"

Isolla shrugged. "Many kings have tried. My father had hoped to bring the Rhodoks back into the fold, and almost managed to decapitate them when he learned of their council in the field of Jelkala. But, after a well fought battle, Graveth stopped it and my father knew better than to try and occupy a now angry populace standing behind their new, battle proven king."

To Korra's surprise, Isolla did not seem to be too perturbed by the fact her father had failed. "Hard fought battle?" she asked.

"My father never held much ill will towards Graveth - it was a skillful, honorably ran battle and he respected Graveth personally as a commander."

"Fair enough," Korra said as she shrugged.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, there are other matters I should attend to." Isolla nodded to them and walked away as soon as they had returned the nod.

"So," Mako said. "We going to do anything about that?"

"I dunno, kinda seems like an Avatar job," Bolin noted. "I mean, this is the sort of thing the Avatar does, right? Fixing injustices like that?"

"I'm not so sure," Korra answered as she rubbed her chin briefly. "I mean, it's hard not to want to help her, but I don't think we're getting the whole story. She might not know something that changes the context entirely."

"We could ask Delinard," Asami suggested as she took a step forward. "I mean, he was there, so he might be able to explain it better."

"Next time we meet him, I'd rather not accidently burn that bridge by sending him a letter."

"Speaking of letters, you guys understand those symbols at the bottom of the tapestry?" Bolin asked and Korra felt a fit forming in her stomach as she looked at the inscriptions that lined the bottom of the tapestry and realized that they weren't just decorative, but they were writings.

"... we use completely different writing systems," Korra said as she put a hand on her face. "Just _great_," she said. "I can't believe I didn't think of that sooner."

"Add finding a decent university to the list?" Asami asked. "I mean, if my book's going to be of any use we'll need to be able to translate the writings."

"Couldn't hurt to look into that," Mako said. "At least the words are the same."

XXXXXX

Adopting an earthbending stance, Bolin hit the ground with his foot, bringing out a small chunk of compressed dirt and stood to face Korra, who was also in an earthbending stance.

"Hit me!" she shouted.

Bolin hesitated, numerous scenarios running through his head briefly. What if he broke one of her limbs or worse, her neck by hitting her with his earthbending? What if she suffered memory loss from the hit, or any other number of horrible things?

But he was not going to aim for the head, and she was wearing Asami's padded armor as that was basically pro-bending practice gear. They would be safe enough.

He launched the rock towards Korra's stomach and she took it directly, trying to break it with her arm as it hit and she staggered, wincing at the hit.

"You okay?" Bolin asked.

"I'm fine," she bit back.

"I'm really not sure this is a good idea, Korra," Asami said as she and Mako were sitting nearby watching them practice outside of Wercheg.

"Look, I need my earthbending back and the key is holding my ground," Korra answered hotly. "I was able to break that boulder a bit. Hit me again, Bolin, and don't hold back!"

Bolin glanced towards Mako and Asami, both of whom gave him a brief look and Mako shrugged. So he brought up another boulder and launched it at Korra. She met it head on, the boulder stopping and cracking along the middle as she struck the center and it fell. Korra's hands were starting to bleed, though.

"Okay, I can't do this," Bolin said as he put his hands up. "I mean, I'd like to help you fix your earthbending, but if it's going to involve trying to hurt you badly, I can't."

"Relax," Korra said as she drew water from her waterskin and held it around her hands, wincing and the water fell. "Okay, maybe I shouldn't try to take it with my hands. Let's stick to shoulder checking it."

"After you took an arrow there?"

"Hey, that healed, it's fine."

"Look, Korra, I know that the traditional root of earthbending is a solid stance, but I don't think standing there getting mashed by boulders is a really solid stance."

"So what should I stand my ground against, a charging Mecha Tank?" she asked as she made a small indent on the ground with her weakened earthbending and then poured some water in, crouching down and using the puddle to heal her hands.

Asami blanched. "Uh, Korra, do you _really_ want to hold your ground when you've got a fifty ton murder machine hurtling towards you?"

"Fair point," Korra admitted as she looked up. "But I don't know how else to do it. I learned earthbending my holding my ground. You'd be surprised how hard a large snowball is."

"They trained you in earthbending by throwing snow at you?" Mako asked in surprise.

"Taught me to hold my ground with it," she corrected as the cuts on her hands looked to be healing. "Ah, that feels good… nah, the idea was get me used to the idea first, then actually start doing it. Technically he could have skipped it since I was already earthbending, but he thought that it'd be best to make sure I really understood the roots." Korra smiled faintly. "He had me use my waterbending to break the snowballs apart; take the hit and break it, rather than try to redirect the attack like I'd usually do."

"Speaking of redirecting," Bolin asked. "Any idea if your lightning's any good, Mako?"

"I'd rather not try it until I'm a little more certain," he explained. "I mean, I probably could, but I'd rather wait a little longer before trying it just to see if I have it."

"Well, if you want to try redirecting the charge in my gauntlet shouldn't be too much," Asami said as she reached for it with a grin.

"Ah… no thanks, electricity to the heart in a mishap is _not_ something I'm looking forward too."

"Coward," she retorted with a mock smirk that did not seem to reassure Mako.

_Wonder why,_ Bolin thought, it was clear to him that Asami was just teasing. Bolin shrugged as Korra stood. "So, you sure about this? I don't want to hurt you."

"Yeah, I think I learned my lesson. Take it with the side, not my hands."

"Okay," he said as he brought out another chunk of rock, smaller this time, and launched it towards her. Korra took the hit directly to her raised forearms and held firm, the only showing of it being her being pushed back slightly and the boulder broke apart as it hit her.

"You break that?" Bolin asked.

"I think I got a fracture point or two," she said as she checked her arms. "Let's keep going."

XXXXX

"So," Mako asked uneasily later that day, "How long do you think Korra's going to be hurting like that? You know, having rocks thrown at her to get her earthbending going."

"I'm not sure, when she puts her mind to something she doesn't let pain stop her," Asami answered as they were making their way through the market to resupply on food.

They still had another day or two worth of food, but feeding four people and a giant polar bear dog had quickly eaten off of Korra's initial estimates of food. In fact, part of the reason they had been able to put off buying more was the rations they got on the caravan trip, though as prices for food were high in Dhirim they decided to wait as, being recently untouched by war, Wercheg was likely to have far better prices.

And now Mako found himself helping Asami find something they would all eat while Korra was tending to her bruises and Bolin was checking out the view of the bay. "The fish looks to be good," he commented as he gestured towards a fishmonger. "Looks like he's smoking it too; that keeps it fresh enough to save for a bit."

Asami nodded. "I'll head there after; you think Bolin would like beef? Looks like someone's selling some dried stuff over there."

"We'd probably eat most things," he said as he glanced towards a pair of men walking past.

"Did you hear? The Swadians and Vaegirs made peace," one carrying a large keg said.

"Huh; think that's going to stop Ragnar from hitting the Swadians?" the other one carrying a large jar of something black and sticky asked.

"Probably not; if anything he'll start the war sooner!"

Mako glanced back towards Asami. "You heard that, right?"

"Huh?" she asked, turning as she was about to hand some money to the merchant.

"Just a political tidbit; I'll tell you later," he said with a shrug.

"Not a lot of guys go with the lady to buy food," the merchant remarked and Mako immediately felt his gut tighten.

"We're, ah, no, we haven't… ah…" he said, tugging at his red scarf as he tried to find a good way to put it.

"We're not together," Asami said cooly. "We're just getting supplies for our next trip with our friends."

"Sorry, didn't mean to imply something that wasn't there," the merchant said with a shrug. "Say, you lot were on the caravan that came from Rhodok territory, right?"

"Yes, why?" Mako asked, suddenly on guard.

"You might want to head back if you've got anyone there; rumor has it that the Rhodoks just declared war to assert their claim on Weyyah Castle." The portly merchant glanced around. "Kinda hope it doesn't go too far beyond that; I've got a cousin down there."

"We, ah… we're not from around here," Mako said. "Foreigners as far as Calradia is concerned."

"Ah. Well, either way a pleasure doing business with you."

After getting the rest of their shopping done, they made their way to the tavern again with two full rucksacks with enough food for at least a week, though much more heavily based on meat than the initial supplies any of them had. Korra was looking over the map outside, leaning against Naga.

"Hey," she said as she looked up. "Got everything?"

"Well, I hope you like fish and meat, because that was a lot of it," he explained. "We did get some grain for the horse, though, and that ought to last longer. No Bolin?"

"Still sightseeing, probably," she said. "So, looking at the map, I'm figuring we could cut south, pass by Jayek in case we need emergency supplies, then go to Fenada and see that watchtower Bolin was interested in," she pointed her finger along the map to show the route. "Then head south and either cross the river or see if we can't find a boat nearby."

"Sounds good," Asami said as she put her rucksack down. "When do we want to head out? I'm figuring we could at least wait until first light tomorrow."

"Dawn works," Mako said before pausing and looking towards the castle. "Hang on, I'm going to go get Bolin, make sure he doesn't get into any trouble."

XXXXXX

The first sign of trouble as they approached Jayek the next morning was a farmer riding a horse with all haste.

"Sea Raiders are coming!" he shouted as he passed them.

"Wait, hold on!" Korra called, pulling on the reins. "Naga, head after him!"

The polar bear dog barked an affirmative and began to run after the other rider while Mako and Bolin brought their horse to a stop.

"Hey, stop!" Korra shouted. "What're you talking about!"

The rider finally slowed down and turned to look at her. "Sea Raiders, they're coming right for Jayek! You'd better ride hard to get away from them!"

"How many?" Korra asked.

"A whole longboat's worth at least!"

_Useful,_ Korra thought sarcastically as she nodded. "Alright, thanks. You better get going."

"I know," he answered as he gave the horse a kick on the side. "Hyah!" he shouted and the horse galloped away full speed.

"You think we're ready?" Asami asked.

"Let's see what's going on first," Korra answered as they headed back. "But if we can help somehow, I don't see why we shouldn't. Maybe we'll be able to speed up an evacuation or something."

XXXXXX

It only took half an hour to get to Jayek, a small village in the rolling hills backed up against much larger ones that formed a ridge line at least two stories tall. As they rode up the dirt road from the settlement's west, about thirty men were preparing for battle, most of them young with a few older ones. Most looked to be using old or poorly made equipment.

An old man walked up to them, wearing a simple beige tunic and his hair was thoroughly greyed. "Welcome to Jayek, but I'm afraid you came at a poor time."

"We heard, Sea Raiders," Korra explained as she nodded to her friends and they started dismounting. "Can we help at all?"

"We'll take every warrior we can," he said as he looked towards the warriors getting ready.

"These men are all we have to defend ourselves; men too young to be part of our liege's normal retinue or levies, and a few older ones as well."

"Why're your levies called up?" Asami asked, frowning as she pulled her helmet off of Naga's saddle. "I thought the Nords were still at peace."

"Jarl Turya called them up intending to meet the Sea Raider threat directly. He wanted to concentrate his forces; but he seems to have been outmaneuvered. We sent a rider to Wercheg and to Alburq Castle, but… we may have to just flee."

"Why not just do that?" Bolin asked. "Pick up the stakes, get clear, and come back when it's time."

"If we flee, all our hard work will be stolen and looted. We've worked so hard this season, and now to lose it all…"

"I'm not ready to throw in the towel," Korra said as she looked around, taking in the environment.

To their east and continuing to the south were the ridgelines. There were slopes that could be traversed, but not as an attack; the slope was too steep for a charge and would give the defenders too much time to respond and tire the attackers. To the west was the gentler slope they had come up, but that also required taking a long way around. And in the north the ridges ended rather close to the village, though Korra's view of the closer parts of it were obscured by the stone houses built close together. She knew the reality: the village was just too exposed once those ridges were bypassed and there was a semi-favorable slope.

And the defenders did not look to be ready for it; the fact that the village did not even have a fence, let alone a decent palisade, just emphasized that. Though all those arming up were muscular and looked like they knew what to do, their equipment was shoddy. Thick fur coats that were probably normally worn in the winter was the norm, though a few of the older men wore metal armor. Shields were predominant, but most looked to have been passed down one too many generations. Their arsenal was something, though; everyone at least had an axe and they had a number of spears as well, with a few archers milling about checking their bows.

Inhaling, Korra looked to the others. Mako was grimacing at the state of the defenders and Bolin seemed a bit uneasy, though Asami had her hand on her chin thoughtfully. "Hey, Korra. You think we could close off a few routes in?"

"What do you mean?" she asked as Asami pointed to the north.

"Barricades. Wall off the gaps between houses and use that to delay the attacks, or at least encourage them to move around."

"I'm not sure if we have the lumber to do it," the elder said.

"Actually," Bolin said as his face brightened a bit, "That might work. I won't be able to wall off all of it, but I might be able to at least block off a few spots. Earthbending," he added as the elder was still giving him a confused look.

"Where would the raiders usually come?" Korra asked.

"Usually they would approach from the north," he said, pointing to the slope that ended the ridge. "But they also loop around, coming down the ridge from the south."

"If we do some blocking off, they might decide to come from the south; I doubt they won't have a scout checking out the place," Mako finally said.

The elder paused, then nodded. "Alright, do what you can. I just hope we can hold until the Jarl can get here…"

"I think we can," Korra said as she looked to them. "How're they armed? Similar to your guys?"

"To the veterans, yes, and use similar tactics like shield walls."

Korra smirked. "What's the weakest side of one?"

The elder's eyes went wide as he realized where she was taking it as she outlined her proposed plan of attack. With no objections and feeling like the best way to do it, they spent the next ten minutes frantically working to get the barriers up and prepare for the attack. As soon as they were done, they waited, checking their armor and hoping for the best.

"Always the hard part," said one of the older warriors standing near where Korra had sat.

"Waiting?"

"Aye," he answered with a nod. He looked like he should have been in a retirement home, not armored for war. "It's the slow silence. You know that soon, you will be fighting for your life. Kill or be killed. But until then, it is just an inevitability. A ghost you can't hurt."

She nodded, looking at her helmet. Her shield was lying next to her along with the hatchet. If there was another chi blocker or four in the mix of raiders, they wanted to be ready. She also had the hunting knife on her belt, again in case she needed it, though she did not expect to have to drop to the melee weapons.

"So, think this'll work?" Asami asked as she was checking the insides of her gauntlet.

"In broad scope? Yes. In detail?" Korra shrugged. "That I'm a bit fuzzy on."

"Look alive!" Mako shouted as he was waiting on top of a roof, "I've got movement to the south; looks like the raiders!"

Korra shot to her feet. "Okay, everyone to their positions, let's do this!"

The militia reacted, forming a shield wall along the south entrance to the village, two rows deep with the archers behind or climbing onto the roofs. Korra, Mako, Asami, and Bolin waited with the archers while Naga stayed behind one of the houses, all of them waiting for Korra to give the signal.

"Steady…" Korra said as she saw some of the younger warriors shaking as they held their spears. The Sea Raiders closing in were more clearly visible to her now. Most of them had chainmail armor and all of them carried shields, but that was the end of the similarities. Some carried bows, most carried axes, some had spears, and towards the middle of the formation she could make out men in thick brown armor.

"Huscarls," one of the older archers said as if the word was a curse.

"I'm sorry?" Korra said as she tightened the shield around her arm.

"Those men in the middle; it's a captain and his own best men. Huscarls in war are like elite bodyguards," he elaborated as he received confused looks from the non-Calradians.

"Right," Asami said as she checked the charge in her gauntlet. "Korra?"

"Alright, hold the shield wall and start peppering them with arrows; thin them out a bit if you can but keep them focused on the front. Mako, Asami, Bolin, let's move!"

As the four moved to the left side, she heard the militia readying to absorb the charge and were drawing any of their throwing weapons as the archers began to fire. Waiting with Naga, Korra counted down mentally as she glanced out from behind to watch the formation charging in, shields raised towards the shield wall. A few archers were trailing the group, launching arrows back at the militia.

"Wait… wait…" the Nord militia leader warned as they closed in. _"Thrust!_" he shouted and suddenly the air was full of noise of battle - spears shattering, metal clanging against metal, men screaming and dying.

"Now!" Korra ordered and they sprang out, rushing towards the open flank of the Sea Raiders. Korra drew water from her waterskin and whiplashed it into the group as Mako launched fireballs and Bolin kicked up a chunk of rock to launch in. The bending attacks crashed into the flank, knocking them into each other and staggering the assault, allowing the militia to get a few good hits in and several Sea Raiders collapsed - one getting a spear thrust into his mouth.

"Sven, now!" one of the Sea Raiders shouted and the last line of them broke off and charged to meet them. Asami was the first one to make contact, grabbing a spear thrust towards her and using it as leverage to pull herself in close and electrocute the Sea Raider, who fell with a scream. Naga charged in behind them, grabbing another one and flinging him into the mass by her teeth, further disrupting the center of their formation.

As Korra met another raider in melee as he tried to split her head open, she saw the charging attackers faltering for a moment at the shock and being entangled. Korra smirked as she knocked the raider onto the ground, waterbending an icy blade around her wrist. Stabbing the raider in the face, she knew they had a chance. It did not matter how good your men were individually if they were too shaken to fight. And shock was one powerful tool.

But as Mako bashed a raider with his riot club before shooting another fireball into the mass, the risks of her plan became obvious. The raiders that had peeled off the formation to meet them had prevented them from capitalizing on that shock. They paid a terrible price for it as Naga bit down on one and tore his sword arm off before swatting him aside, but they had stopped them from truly destroying their cohesion.

And with a salvageable flank, the Sea Raiders were regaining their momentum against the militia, breaking the older shields and as the men in the center of the Nord shield wall fell, it all went downhill.

"They've broken through!" one of the militiamen screamed.

"Get out of here, RUN!" another added, and the shield wall completely collapsed as the few who held it found their heads and limbs hacked off by the raiders, and the rout began in full.

"What now?" Bolin asked as they finished off the last of the Sea Raiders who had given their lives interdicting them.

"We have to do something!" Korra answered as she looked around quickly. "Take out as many as you can; we can still save the village!" If they could just get the Sea Raiders to call it quits…

_Easier said than done,_ Korra realized as they rushed in behind the Raiders as the captain was trying to stop them from running off and pillaging. That was their chance - while the Raiders were running rampant, they had to take out the captain and any of his lieutenants.

"Men, we've got… ah damn it," he cursed as he looked at her. "Alright, let's end this now. Kill the adventurers!"

"You first!" Mako answered as he unleashed a volley of fireballs at the Huscarls, who simply raised their shields to block them as Naga roared. The three Huscarls looked to their captain and all four men drew throwing axes, aiming them for the polar bear dog as she rushed forward with the others.

The Huscarls threw their axes and they caught Naga directly - two to her back left leg and one cut into her right foreleg, causing her to trip and slid into the ground with a whimper as her balance had been taken out from under her. The fourth axe had missed and Korra ducked behind her shield, the axe embedding itself into the top and gave her a view of the new indent.

"Naga!" Korra shouted as she lowered her shield.

"Help her, we've got these guys!" Asami shouted as the Huscarls charged them.

"Mako, watch out!" Bolin shouted as one of them had managed to charge up close to Mako with a large, two handed axe. One Huscarl had gone for each of them, turning the battle into a series of duels.

The captain had gone for her, a sword in hand. Korra didn't let him close in, dropping to the side and freezing a stream of water as it came out of her waterskin into a pointed shard of ice. The shard hit the captain's armor and broke through the leather he wore but did not get through to the mail as it shattered. His momentum had remained and their shields met and the sword was coming down for her shoulder.

She dropped to the side, keeping the pressure on his shield as she spun around behind him. He followed after her but had lost time from his swing and she used that to drop onto her right hand and sweep his legs out from under him.

He hit the ground with a grunt but swung his sword forward, forcing Korra to step back and drop behind her shield again. He climbed back onto his feet and brought his shield down in time to block Korra, pushing back against her and the metal in the center of the shield crashed against her chest and staggered her, followed shortly by him slashing with his sword.

The sword came down and she blocked with her shield before he dropped down himself and knocked her legs out from under her. Landing on her back as she heard Asami scream, Korra put her shield up in front of her as the captain continued to smash against her shield, the force of every blow forcing Korra's arm back until the shield was almost hitting her in the face.

The blows stopped as a fireball shot over her head and hit the captain's hand, and as Korra pushed back she leapt to her feet, knocking the Sea Raider captain backwards. As he staggered back, the captain lost his grip on his sword.

"Captain!" a Huscarl shouted as he slid back after being kicked away by Asami (her back bleeding), throwing an axe to him. The captain caught it and brought it against Korra's shield, hitting it and embedding it into the metal frame beneath the hide. He tugged at it and pulled her forward, but the axe remain wedged within.

The two were staring face to face, Korra having a full view of the other man's face. Beneath the metal of his helmet, his dark red beard was all too similar to blood as he snarled and moved to headbutt her. Korra moved her head to the side just in time and released the straps holding her shield to her arm, then kicked him. Still holding onto the shield with his axe, he looked up at her as Korra quickly drew the full contents of her waterskin and attacked.

The captain ducked behind his shield as the water came down, but Korra aimed low and froze him in place by his legs. Korra glanced around quickly as she had a moment; Asami was still fighting her opponent but had the upper hand, Mako had burned his opponent's face but the Huscarl was still going, and Bolin had broken his opponent's shield. Naga had staggered onto her feet, mauling a Sea Raider and his friend who had come out from the pillaging to help their captain.

"Not bad," the captain said as he drew another axe from his belt - his last one - and hacked at the ice. Korra rushed forward, grabbing her hatchet and running towards him. He saw her coming and brought the shield down to block the hatchet, and the hatchet's front end broke against the shield.

"Need something stronger than _that_!" he shouted as he pushed back, causing Korra to stagger. "I think your friend will make a nice new cape too! Nice and white!" He took a step forward out of the broken ice.

"You have to get past me first," Korra answered, grabbing him as he swung high and flinging him over her shoulder, turning as he his the ground with a grunt and pushed himself back up, shaking his head.

She charged again and as he raised his shield, leapt up and used the shield as a springboard to jump over and behind, keeping herself between the captain and Naga as she went through the motions to draw another shot of water from her waterskin. Nothing came out and Korra grit her teeth. _Pay attention to your ammo!_ she admonished herself as the Sea Raider chuckled.

"All out of water, eh? Any last words before I kill you?"

Korra glanced around quickly. Asami had dealt with her opponent who was now curled into a fetal position, the man's helmet still sparking with the remains of the electricity that had taken him down. Mako and Bolin, on the other hand, were the ones who needed help as they had been forced back by their two opponents and Mako was bleeding too. She had to deal with the leader herself.

He charged and Korra responded, throwing her weight against his shield before he could swing down. The force of the weight caused him to stagger and she took the opportunity to grab his shield and twisted. The captain shouted as his arm was being turned, but he released the shield and Korra found herself spinning from the momentum before she felt something hit the shield. Hitting the ground with a grunt and dropping the shield as she fell, she found herself right next to Naga. The polar bear dog had taken another axe to the leg and seemed to be down, but whoever had hurt her had paid dearly for it.

Korra pushed herself back up, rooting her stance as the captain came for her again even though he had lost his shield. He swung to the right, but she countered, grabbing his arm and forcing him back. He tried to deck her across the face with his free hand, but she blocked it with her right. He went high as he was forced to take a step back, and she caught the pommel of the axe with both hands and pushed it back before spinning around and kicking him, causing him to fall backwards onto his knees.

He recovered quickly and counter charged, crashing into her with his shoulders and knocking her into Naga. Raising his axe, he brought it down towards her as she countered with an uppercut. The uppercut did not connect.

But something else did, knocking him back with a scream as something brown crashed into his chin and dented the lower rim of his helmet. Korra looked down and noticed a chunk of the ground was missing. Glancing at Naga, she smirked. She knew what it meant.

"You can fucking _earthbend_!?" the Sea Raider captain shouted as he recovered, wiping blood from his face as he stared at her in shock. "I thought you were a waterbender!"

"I am," Korra retorted as she raised her foot and brought it down, a pillar of earth shooting up beneath her opponent and knocking him onto his back. Korra followed through, spinning a kick into the pillar and sent the top of it towards her opponent.

He rolled to the side, evading the rock that slammed into the ground and shattered into a crater as he staggered back up. Korra slugged him in the chin, unprotected by his metal helmet, causing him to stumble before she finished it, knocking him to the ground with a leg sweep. As he hit the ground, she brought another chunk of rock from the pillar into a rough ball, and brought it down directly into his head, crushing it beneath the rock.

Staring at her bloody work, the final boulder cracking into thirds as she caught her breath, Korra looked up and saw her friends walking towards her. Mako and Asami were supporting each other, badly bleeding while Bolin was smiling despite the cuts he had gained.

"Haha, you've got your earthbending back!" Bolin shouted.

"You guys okay?" Korra asked as she realized how badly they had been torn up; they were out of the fight.

"Not for much longer," Asami explained. "Korra…"

She looked towards the village. The Sea Raiders were regaining their cohesion after they had split off to plunder and found themselves being driven back not only by the veterans in the militia and a few who had regained their wits to come back and fight, but also townsfolk who were charging, one Sea Raider losing an eye to a pitchfork shoved right into it from an angry looking woman with an apron.

"The final blow," Korra muttered as she realized what they needed. This had to end now. "Bolin, follow me! We're gonna quake 'em!"

Bolin's eyes widened for a moment before he beamed. "Aw yeah!"

The two ran into the center of the village as the Sea Raiders had dropped into a circular formation with an opening towards the entrance that the two benders were now running towards.

"What're we supposed to do?" one asked.

"Where's the captain?!" another Sea Raider asked as he cut down a townswoman who had grabbed an axe.

"Incoming!" another shouted as Korra and Bolin both leapt into the air, punching the ground as they landed.

The ground rippled and cracked. Grass, cobblestone, and untilled soil alike split apart, rushing through the Sea Raider formation and knocking most of them to the ground. The two followed through, bringing out chunks of cobble into makeshift boulders and launching them into the formation. Those who still stood collapsed under the impact.

"RETREAT!" one of them shouted as he started to push himself up, "Move, get to the longboat!"

"Do we even have enough left for that?!" another asked as they hastily picked themselves up and began to run, dropping their weapons as they fled with the townsfolk chasing after them. And the people who had minutes ago been victims were now dragging down anyone they could catch in a frenzied chase.

For their part, Korra and Bolin collapsed, panting and catching their breath as the Sea Raiders fled Jayek.

XXXXXXX

"Feel better?"

"Save it," Asami answered, "you've done enough; you need to rest some rest before you try to heal again."

Korra nodded. "Alright, but we really should speed it along. Those slash wounds didn't look pretty."

"I know," Asami answered as she glanced down at her side. She had taken a Huscarl's sword to the backside and it has slid along to her left. The armor she wore had stopped the worst of it, but it was a bleeding wound that had come in contact with the ground and was quite dirty when they were finally able to start tending to injuries.

The Sea Raiders had routed, a mere thirty men left by the time the townsfolk stopped chasing them away. The Sea Raiders unfortunate enough to find themselves at the hands of the townsfolk were beaten to death by the bloodthirsty mob. None of the four freelancers felt able to intervene, nursing wounds or worn out by the struggle. The last surviving veteran of Jayek's militia had cut off the Sea Raider captain's head - or what was left of it - and put it on a broken spear, but the remaining Sea Raider dead beyond the limits of the village center had been left where they died.

And the process of cleaning up the aftermath had started; Korra using her training and fresh water from the well to try and stabilize as many of the wounded as she could. But even with what she did, it had still been a victory that had cost too much. Almost all of the militia had been killed, only one veteran and a few surviving wounded (most of whom now missing limbs) had remained, and at least two dozen civilians had been killed or severely wounded as the Raiders had begun pillaging.

And now, they were resting. Naga had fallen asleep after her wounds had been tended to, while Mako was sitting on a roof, his wounded leg straight as he kept watch.

"All this," Korra muttered. "For what? Money?"

"That, and glory," the village elder said. "Compared to fighting a war, this is an easy way for young warriors to get a few notches on their axes. The old homeland's got an abundance of young men, after all, and the farmland there isn't as bountiful as it is here in Calradia, not that they've had famine in decades..."

"So they get them out here raiding," Korra said, "pillaging and looting, and getting killed off but keeping them from causing problems at home." The Avatar shook her head. "I mean, if they were low on food and the like, fair enough sometimes you have to make a hard choice to keep your people alive. But why pillage and burn other people just to get rich quick? That doesn't last once you run out of targets."

"Better than being an unknown," the elder responded.

Asami nodded slowly as she understood. "Sometimes, you've got people who just want to pillage and burn." She glanced up. "Say, we never got your name."

The elder raised an eyebrow before nodding. "No, I never did tell you. You can call me Elberg."

"I'm sorry we couldn't do more," Korra said as she looked towards the row of dead villagers, the bodies covered with blankets for now.

"So am I," he said as he closed his eyes. He had been crying earlier, but after a few minutes alone had either managed to put himself together or was holding it off. Given the way he looked away, Asami suspected the latter. "But without your help, I'm not sure what would have happened."

"I just… I just feel like we missed something," Korra continued as she looked towards where they had attacked the Sea Raider formation, still littered with broken equipment that some villagers were searching through. "Like there was something we could have done."

"It was always a long shot, Korra," Asami said. "Don't beat yourself up over it; the Sea Raiders had a contingency in case something like what we did happened, we adapted and kept fighting. And in the end, we managed to force them to run."

"Why did they run, though?" Bolin asked as he walked over, Pabu on his shoulders. "I mean, they had what, half their guys left still? If they had stuck around and fought, they probably would have been able to cut us down. I mean, we were beyond the end of our rope and brave as they were, those villagers were going to - were, getting cut down by any of the Raiders that stood and fought."

"How many would they have lost, though?" Elberg explained. "They need to sail back home, after all, and with their captain gone…"

Korra nodded. "Well, let's take what we can get."

Elberg nodded and left to deal with another matter.

"So," Asami asked, "Feel good to be an earthbender again?"

"Yeah," Korra answered with a faint smile. "I guess I just had to keep working at it and needed to really hold my ground. Not just stand in front of something, actually hold my ground."

"Well, at least we know it's just going to take time," Asami said with a faint smile.

"So," Bolin said as he curled his lip. "Those uh, Huscarls… really scary dudes. I mean, I thought chi blockers were bad. And those guys trained to fight benders!"

"They weren't really finessing it," Asami noted. "Chi blockers were successful because they were agile and went for disabling immediately. Those guys lacked that entirely. They did what they did by brute force."

"Which can be done with a suitably stubborn person," Korra noted as she leaned against a stone wall. "Plus, that armor had to help. Though, why didn't your gauntlet work on them?"

"It did," Asami answered as she looked at it. "The leather they wore over the mail just acted as an insulator, plus it was hard to actually grab one when they kept moving those wood shields and their axe handles were wood too; I'm sure it wasn't good for them, but wood is a good insulator."

Korra nodded slowly. What Asami did not mention was that the gear had only been part of it. She was agile, skilled, and strong for her build, but he was still much bigger than her and had an advantage in raw muscle. Combined with his sword, he was able to power through any efforts at blocking and could overwhelm her if he had managed to keep her in place. Mako and Bolin had a similar problem, though Bolin had wrestled with his opponent before using his earthbending to break the grapple.

"Hey, who's that?" Asami asked as she noticed a man hurrying in from the west.

"Not sure," Korra said as she turned and Elberg came back out.

The man who ran into town came to them and stopped, dropping a bit and putting his hands on his knees. "Elder Elberg… Jarl Tuyra… he's going to be here in twenty minutes with his men."

"A little late," Korra noted.

"With troops, escorting supplies and healers," the man added.

Asami pushed herself up. "We should probably meet him."

Korra turned, then nodded as Mako made his way down.

Twenty minutes later, a host of soldiers with an all too close resemblance to the men who had attempted to sack Jayek an hour earlier marched in, lead by an old man whose beard was tied at the end with a single braid. He was wearing armor not unlike that worn by the Huscarls and was escorted by more men similarly equipped.

"Elder," he said, "You have my deepest apologies. I drew away your defenders hoping to engage the threat far from here, and was outwitted. I… how did you survive?"

_There's a man who can swallow his pride,_ Asami noted. He was taking his failure personally and not trying to deflect it.

"These four," Elberg answered, gesturing to her, Korra, Mako, and Bolin. "If they weren't around, I'm not sure we would have survived. In the end, I think it's safe to say they saved Jayek."

"Don't sell yourselves short; we couldn't have taken all of them on," Korra said. "Your fighters, they _died_ holding the line."

"Aye," Tuyra said as he looked between them. "But… you four are not from Calradia, are you?"

"No," Asami answered. He was not just asking because they did not look Calradian. She could tell he was aware of something.

"Not from Calradia, but no less brave. And powerful; I didn't think it was possible for more than one element to be bent by one person," Elberg continued as he gestured to Korra.

"Indeed?" he asked. "That is a… fascinating ability."

"Uh, thanks?"

"No need; if anything, I should be thanking you," Tuyra said. "You defended my responsibility when I failed to do so. When you had no reason to go against the Sea Raider threat. I cannot repay this debt with words or coin."

Asami turned towards Korra and shook her head slightly. Korra glanced back and nodded. "Hopefully you'll never have to," Korra said.

"Now then," the Nord Jarl said as he looked to Elberg. "I've brought men to help with reconstruction and I'll be leaving some, the warriors drawn from here in addition to an extra guard, to hold down the area. Take a stock and tell me what's been lost."

"Yes, my lord," Elberg said as he lead Tuyra towards a storehouse, leaving the four alone while the Nord reinforcements dispersed to positions around the town.

"Something's fishy," Mako said as he folded his arms. "He seemed to pick up on us very quickly. Like, he had half expected people like us."

"What do you mean?" Korra asked as Asami picked out someone who stood out distinctly from the other Nords. Someone wearing a green outfit that resembled a dress, and had a pair of folded up fans on her belt along with a traditional Earth Kingdom style short sword.

"Guys," Asami said, "you might want to check out the woman who just showed up with the Nords."

"Whoa, is that a Kyoshi Warrior?" Bolin asked, jaw dropping.

"Should we talk to her?" Mako asked as he glanced over. "I mean, by the looks of it she's probably found her own thing to do, but…"

"It couldn't hurt," Korra said as they walked over. As they did, the Kyoshi Warrior stopped unloading a large wicker basket and turned to look at them.

"Avatar Korra," she said, lowering her head briefly before turning back to her work. "So, I don't suppose you can explain what happened in more detail?"

"Uh, pleasure to meet you too, and you mean us being sent here, or the village?"

"Us being sent here, I think it's a little more complicated than some event that only happens every ten thousand years," she answered with more than a bit of hostility as she unloaded another basket. "And you were at the center of it."

_Don't tell me she's blaming Korra for this,_ Asami thought as she suppressed the desire to put a hand on her forehead.

"Sorry," Korra said. "You were probably told as much as I knew; I tried to fuse with Raava again to restore the Avatar Cycle, didn't go as planned."

The Kyoshi Warrior grunted noncommittally. "Well, at least you haven't been slacking off in the city since then."

"Uh, there something I'm missing here?" Bolin asked. "Miss, er…"

"Tomoe," the warrior woman supplied.

"Right, is there something I'm missing? I mean, I thought the Kyoshi Warriors were friendly with the Avatar. I mean, taking after the last earthbender one and all…"

"Hey, that was a few hundred years ago," she retorted. "Times change, and we haven't had much help with the bitch queen of Ba Sing Se and her oppression. So, you going to ask?"

"Huh?" Korra asked, frowning. "What do you mean?"

"'Which Kyoshi Warrior is Sokka and Suki's child?' 'Could you tell a story about Zuko's attack on the island?' 'Did Ty Lee really join the Kyoshi Warriors or was that a one-off?' _Everyone_ asks those questions when they meet us."

"Uh… sure?" Bolin answered uncertainly.

"None of their kids joined - trained, never joined; no, and actually joined."

"People have a select view of history," Asami explained as she shook her head. "Well… we should probably let you get to work. You want any help?"

Tomoe glanced up, then to Asami's bandages. "You should probably be sitting in a bed to heal… but thanks."

"So, how'd you join this 'Jarl'?" Mako asked.

"I was looking for work, he was looking for extra hands to fight the Sea Raiders. I've only got one real skill set to apply, after all."

"How bad are the raids going to be?"

"There's at least another month, more likely two or three, before they really hit hard," Tomoe explained as she started to unstrap a larger barrel from the wagon. "Though, you could probably easily talk him into letting you join."

Korra shifted uncomfortably. "Join as in be a mercenary, or help out?"

"Either, though so far he seems reasonable."

"We've mostly been exploring Calradia at this point," Bolin explained. "Y'know, learn more before we make any decisions."

Tomoe shrugged before pulling a barrel off the wagon. "Don't let me stop you. The Avatar's supposed to be more than one little island anyways. So, how many got away?"

"Raiders? About thirty, though most dropped their weapons." Mako explained. "Why?"

"Hmmm; just enough to sail a longboat if I understand things right. Though, they'll probably meet up with another group." Tomoe glanced around as she put it down. "Not that I blame you for not going after them; it looks like it was a close fight, but I can't help but wonder what happened to them."

XXXXXXX

Miles to the north, the weary and terrified Sea Raiders could see their longboat ahead. "We made it!" one shouted and as they reached the longboat, they collapsed as desperation no longer drove them on.

"What was that?" another one, Arne, asked. "I mean, where did those benders come from? I've never SEEN bending like that!"

"I don't know," Selvig said, the red bearded veteran falling to his knees. "But… home. We need to get home…"

"They didn't chase us, let's get a breather first," Erik said as he bent over in his chain mail armor. "Then row home…"

Arne nodded as he sat down on the beach, the warm sand pushed away by his mass and getting into the thick fur coat he wore. They had made it… and had nothing to show for it.

"How're we going to explain this to Einar?" Selvig finally asked. "He's not going to be happy that we got his son killed…"

"Nevermind not recovering his body or looting anything," Arne muttered. "I don't know."

"Try for Ballion?" Erik suggested. "Or maybe sail to another part of Calradia; blend in with the rest of the foreigner mercs?"

"We're Nordmen," Selvig shot back. "We can't just run and hide."

"Perhaps I can offer a solution," another voice said. Arne looked around, unable to see who it was.

"Who's there?" he asked as he looked up at the rim of his longboat and saw an old man wearing dark red standing at the rim.

"I am known by many names," he said, "but I have a proposition for you…"

"And why should we listen to you?" Selvig asked. The old man simply lifted a nearly skeletal hand and the sand suddenly began to shift and the rock beneath them pushed Selvig above the sand bank, the others scattering back away from it.

"Point taken," Selvig admitted.

XXXXX

"Before you go," Elberg said as they were getting ready to leave the next morning, "here; some of the loot from the battle."

Korra turned as she saw the elder holding a sword and two others carrying folded up armor. "What's this for?" she asked as she finished packing the saddlebag.

"A thank you, and your share of the loot," Elberg explained. "You killed their captain yourself; you deserve some of the loot even if you didn't pick any yourselves."

"We've already got armor and your smith helped fix everything of ours that was damaged," Korra said as she looked at the brown, banded armor that one of the Huscarls had been wearing. "Besides, that's probably not flexible enough for the way I fight."

Asami glanced over. "You know, we might not use it, but armor is worth a lot of money, Korra. Especially good stuff like this."

Korra nodded to her before turning to the elder. "You sure you don't need the money yourself? I mean, you guys just got raided."

"We would not have a need if you hadn't taken action," the elder said, "besides, Jarl Tuyra is lending us a lot of assistance. He's good about caring for us, of holding his end of the feudal obligations. We can spare this small gift for your efforts."

Korra glanced at the others. "What do you guys think?"

"Couldn't hurt to have some more money," Mako said. "Plus, they've got the other sets, right? That'll probably help them cover a lot of costs."

"Still," Bolin said, "we're not going to use it, right? I mean, we're already armored up as much as we want to be. Unless?..." Bolin looked at Asami.

"Nah, I probably wouldn't do well weighed down," she explained.

"Are you sure?" Elberg asked as the two men with him were looking at each other with raised eyebrows. "You earned this."

"Thanks, but we can't use it and our expenses aren't that big," Korra finally answered.

Elberg's eyes went wide in shock before he bowed his head. "Thank you, but, I can't in good faith let you leave without something for your efforts." He held the sword forward. "Here, take the sword at least. By the looks of it, it had been made in Swadia. A fine arming sword worthy of a hero, and our smith sharpened it after the battle damage."

Korra glanced at it before nodding and taking it. "Thank you," she said as she glanced to the others as the townsmen walked away. "So, off to Fenada?"

"We could just head for Curaw instead; I mean, I got a great view at Wercheg," Bolin said as he mounted up, Mako behind him.

"Your call," Korra said as she climbed up on Naga, who had more or less healed from her injuries the previous day. She had initially planned on walking, but when she said it Naga started pushing against her. She knew what it meant; Naga was up for carrying them.

"Shall we?" Asami asked as she climbed onto Naga's back, and they left the village.

XXXXXXXX

**End Chapter**

_- The first big 'battle' for the Krew. A taste of what they will be getting their necks into as the story goes on and armies get involved._

_- One thing that always bugged me about village battles was that other than possibly capturing a lord, you got no loot or prisoners. I mean, the enemy lose their horses (always a plus), but still, those fights are also usually meatgrinders due to forced close quarters and minimal room for tactics, so they tend to be expensive as all hell to fight. And you don't even get a relation bonus with the town or their lord for saving it unless its a Bandit Infestation. :(_

_- Speaking of that; the militia. Generally I always felt that Warband needed some sort of levy system; that is, villages and such have a "garrison" of low tier units, the lord of said village can call them up, and when not in service said levy defends the village. That way you aren't constantly having to head back and smash that stupid lord who keeps going for your village with 25-30 untrained and poorly armed men and your villagers can't do anything about it. The same villages that can spew out units like Rhodok Veteran Spearmen in massive numbers with sufficiently high relations and prosperity. So, that's what I did here: part of a levy still in the village, but a second line of less experienced troops who wouldn't be called up if it wasn't full scale war. So, that's where the troops came from._

_- Huscarls were probably more badass than many of us remember them being in-game, at least once we were experienced at playing the game. This is in part because I want the elites, the iconic 'super' soldier of each faction, to actually stand out as a reason for that faction's power. In game, they're glorified mooks who are effectively expendable (especially once we have levels and points in Trainer). Here… I want them to be worth that reputation. I want a Swadian Knight to be feared as the fast moving medieval main battle tank he is. I want the Rhodok Sharpshooter feared as the anti-material-crossbow wielding sniper he is. I want Khergit Horse Archers feared as the !*#$%& pains in the ass they are running around in circles long after their main force has been wrecked. The catch is that they're not going to be nearly as common as they are in-game. And I mean encountered in enemy armies; generally you only see a few top tier elites in them except for armies that have seen few defeats or Kings. So, I'm going with that rather than "you can raise an army of all Swadian Knights that's got almost 200 dudes in it"._

_- As for Tomoe; the Krew weren't the only ones who were dragged into Calradia, but not everyone will be interested in joining Korra or story relevant. I just wanted to have a Kyoshi Warrior around damn it! Especially given we haven't heard anything about them since A:TLA. My headcanon is that Hou-Ting taxed Kyoshi Island to ruins to try and spite Korra in recompense for Aang's actions since the Kyoshi Warriors were on very good terms with him and helped him a lot (and maybe some sort of twisted victim-blaming over Azula capturing them and stealing their clothes to infiltrate Ba Sing Se…)_

_- Korra is not necessarily going to help the claimants; and if she does it won't necessarily involve a massive civil war. However, meeting the claimants gives Korra more to talk about when she actually meets the monarchs without having to backtrack around. Plus, a chance to show that Korra doesn't take things immediately at face value anymore; she's been manipulated by enough politicians :P_

_- Worth noting that the Sea Raider's armor is indeed valuable, even in-game going by true price and a recommended source of money, but historically as well. Generally, chain mail and similar armors would be looted by the victors, either to use themselves as it was good protection, or to be sold for a lucrative price. Looting was part and parcel of medieval warfare, after all, and good equipment is _expensive_ to buy. Really, the game spoils us by not making us have to pay for equipment save for companions. Imagine having to pay almost a thousand Denars just to give your Nord Warriors their armor, and that's without getting into their shields or weapons._


End file.
